WALES

Institute of Fiscal Studies

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much her Department spent on services provided by the Institute for Fiscal Studies in each of the last 10 years.

David Jones: Nil.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Sexual Harassment

Jo Swinson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what recent research the Government Equalities Office has evaluated on the incidence of sexual harassment of 16 to 18-year-olds; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: holding answer 9 November 2010
	The Government Equalities Office has not undertaken any recent research on the incidence of sexual harassment of 16 to 18-year-olds.
	Violence against women and girls ruins lives, destroys families, and has an impact across many generations. The gendered pattern and the dynamic of violence against women and girls needs to be understood and acknowledged and a cross-government strategy is the best way to address this. We are also developing a cross-government communications strategy which will challenge attitudes and behaviours towards women and girls which are unacceptable. Our work will also consider the effects of such violence on men and boys.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Subsidies

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she plans to take to simplify the processes for making single farm payments as part of Common Agricultural Policy reform by 2013.

James Paice: holding answer 4 November 2010
	Reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) must deliver better value for farmers, taxpayers, consumers and the environment. Part of this must also be about developing a CAP that is simpler, and reducing the administrative burden on farmers from unnecessary regulation. Negotiations on CAP will begin formally in the context of a communication which we expect to be published by the European Commission later this month. I look forward to working with my counterparts in the EU and devolved Administrations in order to further the simplification agenda as part of these negotiations.

Arpley Landfill Site

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) air quality and  (b) water quality tests the Environment Agency has carried out within a one mile radius of the Arpley landfill site in the last five years.

Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency has carried out one air quality test within a one mile radius of the Arpley landfill site in the last five years. This monitored flammable gases close to the surface of the landfill. The Environment Agency has also monitored ground gases in boreholes adjacent to the landfill.
	The Environment Agency has sampled water quality on 522 occasions in this area over the last five years. Each test is sampled for a number of different contaminants that may be present in the river.
	The site operator is also required to carry out air and water quality monitoring as part of its permit conditions. The operator is required to submit the results of this monitoring to the Environment Agency on a periodic basis.

Arpley Landfill Site

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many complaints in respect of the handling of  (a) hazardous waste and  (b) radioactive waste at the Arpley landfill site the Environment Agency has received in each of the last five years.

Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency has not received complaints in respect of the handling of hazardous waste or radioactive waste at the Arpley landfill site in the last five years.
	The Arpley landfill site is only permitted to accept non-hazardous and inert wastes under the terms of the current environmental permit.

Bottles: Recycling

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the oral answer from the Prime Minister of 15 September 2010,  Official Report, column 878, on bottle deposit and refund schemes, what consideration her Department has given to the Campaign to Protect Rural England's report 'Have we got the bottle? Implementing a Deposit Refund Scheme in the UK'; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 8 November 2010
	We are currently analysing all contributions received as part of the review of waste policy, including the Campaign to Protect Rural England's report, 'Have we got the bottle?'.
	As part of this review, the option of bottle deposit refund systems has been raised by a number of contributors, with divergent views. We will review all evidence submitted before making any formal decisions.

Cotton: EU Action

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on EU cotton subsidies; and if she will seek their abolition as part of post-2013 Common Agricultural Policy reform negotiations.

James Paice: I believe that the time has come for the last remaining direct support to the EU cotton sector to be de-coupled and the UK will be pursuing this end as part of our negotiating position in the forthcoming Common Agricultural Policy Reform round.

Dairy Farming

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to ensure that future proposals for intensive dairy farming are examined by her Department; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: Planning proposals for intensive dairy farming units are for relevant planning authorities to examine.
	DEFRA's interest is in ensuring that our comprehensive animal welfare and environment legislation which applies to all livestock farming, whatever the system and regardless of size is applied correctly.
	As long as these standards are met, the Government recognise that the UK market has a place for sustainable intensification as well as more traditional production and added-value production, to enable the industry to be competitive in the UK, EU and global markets.

English Forestry Forum

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the next meeting of the English Forestry Forum to take place.

James Paice: I have no plans to hold further meetings of this group. There will be stakeholder workshops as part of the public consultation on proposals for the public forest estate in England, and I encourage any former member of the English Forestry Forum to participate in these workshops.

Environment Protection: British Overseas Territories

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans her Department has for future  (a) co-ordination of and  (b) funding for the (i) Overseas Territories Environment Programme, (ii) Darwin Initiative and (iii) Overseas Territories Challenge Fund.

Richard Benyon: The Overseas Territories Environment Programme is jointly administered and funded by the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. On the Darwin Initiative, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced at the recent meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan, that the UK will not only sustain the existing level of funding, but now plans to increase it over the next four years. The details for the next round of the Darwin Initiative, including the plans for the Overseas Territories Challenge Fund, are being elaborated, and we are aiming to launch the next round as soon as possible.

Forestry Commission

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  which  (a) duties and  (b) functions of the Forestry Commissioners she plans to delegate to other bodies;
	(2)  to whom she plans to delegate the duties and functions of the Forestry Commissioners of Great Britain.

James Paice: The Government are seeking legislative changes in the Public Bodies Bill to enable Ministers and the Forestry Commission in England to operate more flexibly. DEFRA and the Forestry Commission will consult shortly on proposals for the management and ownership of the public forest estate in England.

Forestry Commission

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the role of Forestry Commission Great Britain is in respect of setting minimum standards for sustainable forest management for forests and woodlands.

James Paice: The Forestry Commission is responsible for developing the standards for sustainable forestry management in the UK. The UK Forestry Standard sets minimum standards and is accompanied by a series of guidelines providing advice on its implementation. Following a comprehensive review exercise over the last two years, a revised standard and guidelines are expected to be available in the new year. These have been developed in close consultation with the forest industry and other stakeholders.

Forestry Commission

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the role of Forestry Commission Great Britain is in respect of research and knowledge transfer for sustainable forest management across the UK.

James Paice: Forest Research, an agency of the Forestry Commission, develops the evidence base to support sustainable forest management in the UK. This informs policy development, and provides practical guidance and support for operational forestry on the public and private forest estate.

Forestry Commission: Land

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the use of funds arising from the sale of Forestry Commission land in England; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: DEFRA continues to hold discussions with HM Treasury about the future of the public forest estate in England. We will be consulting on proposals shortly.

Forestry Commission: Land

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the Forestry Commission's portfolio analysis of the public forest estate to be published.

James Paice: The portfolio analysis is a geographical computer tool that enables the Forestry Commission to aid decision-making and assist with the management of the public forest estate. We shall be publishing and consulting on proposals for the public forest estate in England shortly.

Forestry Commission: Land

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial provisions she plans to make for additional woodland areas that become eligible for land management grants as a result of future sales of public forest estate land.

James Paice: We are committed to maintaining the existing levels of support for private woodland owners for the remainder of the Rural Development Programme for England, which runs until 2013. This includes the English Woodland Grant Scheme administered by the Forestry Commission.

Forestry Commission: Land

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the likely change in the area of woodland certified against the UK Woodland Assurance Standard as a result of sales of public forest estate land.

James Paice: Certification under the UK Woodland Assurance Standard is voluntary. The entire public forest estate is certified, as well as 144,000 hectares of other woods in England. An assessment of any potential change will be explored following the consultation exercise on the future of the public forest estate which we plan to hold early next year.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Electronic Equipment

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information her Department holds on the quantity of  (a) chlorofluorocarbon,  (b) hydrofluorocarbon and  (c) hydrochlorofluorocarbon gases which were (i) emitted to the atmosphere and (ii) recovered and recycled in the UK from refrigeration and air conditioning equipment in each of the last five years.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 8 November 2010
	 The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) currently reports annual emissions of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in the UK Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory, which is available from the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory website at:
	http://www.naei.org.uk
	In addition to this, DECC funds the measurement of atmospheric gas concentrations of HFCs, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) at the Mace Head observation site. These data are available from the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment website:
	http://agage.eas.gatech.edu/
	The HFCs observation data are used to verify the UK GHG Inventory and are available from the Air Quality website at:
	http://www.airquality.co.uk/reports/cat07/1010151420_ukghgi-90-08_Annexes_Issue3_r.pdf
	Under the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register, available at:
	http://prtr.ec.europa.eu/PollutantReleases.aspx
	the UK estimates its emissions of CFCs, HFCs and HCFCs, however the data are only available for 2007 and 2008.
	The following information is held on quantities of CFCs recovered (and destroyed) in the UK:
	
		
			  Kilograms 
			   Recovered 
			  Ozone-depleting substance  2005( 1)  2006( 1)  2007( 2)  2008( 2)  2009( 2) 
			 CFC R11 374,677 285,217 315,940 231,269 198,795 
			 CFC R12 90,819 67,225 64,645 42,090 39,085 
			 CFCs-unspecified 1,200 59,095 10,454 16,352 - 
			 Total 466,696 411,537 391,039 289,711 237,880 
			 (1) UK figures. (2) England and Wales only. 
		
	
	No information is held on quantities of HFCs and HCFCs recovered and recycled in the UK.

Landfill: Refrigerators

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what information her Department holds on the average annual number of retail refrigerated display cabinets disposed of in landfill sites in the last five years;
	(2)  what information her Department holds on the average annual number of retail refrigerated display cabinets which were  (a) re-manufactured and  (b) recycled in the last five years.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA does not hold complete information on the number of retail refrigerated display cabinets reused, recycled or disposed of in landfill sites.
	The EC regulations on substances that deplete the ozone layer require ozone-depleting substances to be removed from commercial refrigeration equipment before it is disposed of. In 2009, seven treatment sites in England and Wales processed 1,594,962 refrigeration units (both household and non-household) for ozone-depleting substances. This does not include data for commercial refrigeration units which do not contain ozone-depleting substances, nor are these data specific to refrigerated display cabinets.
	The UK waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) regulations encourage the separate collection of WEEE, establish minimum treatment standards, and set recovery and recycling targets. DEFRA does not hold data on the number of retail refrigerated display cabinets processed under these regulations as non-household WEEE is currently non-obligated.

National Parks: Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance she has issued to Ofgem on its duty to have regard to the purposes of National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Richard Benyon: In 2005 DEFRA produced a guidance note about the duties to have regard to the purposes of National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This was sent to all those considered to be bound by them, including Ofgem.
	In April of this year DEFRA also wrote to Ofgem (as a body it considered to be covered by the 'have regard' duty) to draw its attention to the new National Parks Circular.

Nitrogen Dioxide: Pollution Control

Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to announce the outcomes of her Department's review of options in respect of measures to help achieve nitrogen dioxide limit values by 2015.

Richard Benyon: The Government are preparing air quality plans to achieve EU limit values for nitrogen dioxide (NO2). These plans will set out measures to achieve the NO2 limit value by 2015, and will be included in the UK's time extension notification under the Ambient Air Quality Directive (2008/50/EC). The Government expect to submit their NO2 time extension notification to the European Commission by the required deadline of September 2011.

Pollution: Liquefied Petroleum Gas

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the contribution of the use of liquid petroleum gas as a  (a) road and  (b) domestic fuel to meeting air quality requirements.

Richard Benyon: With regards to what assessment has been made on the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as a road fuel, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given in response to the hon. Member for Glasgow South (Mr Harris) by the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 8 November 2010,  Official Report, column 108W.
	No specific assessments have been undertaken to estimate the contribution of the use of LPG as a domestic fuel to meeting air quality requirements.
	Indicatively, LPG is used domestically as a cost-effective alternative to coal or gasoil predominately in rural areas, which are not connected to the gas grid. Emission calculations using the 2008 UK inventory for domestic sector emissions, found switching from LPG to either gasoil or burning oil has a negligible effect across all pollutants, with very small increases in emissions of sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and oxides of nitrogen. These calculations also showed that switching to coal from LPG would increase emissions for the majority of pollutants. If all the domestic energy produced using LPG was completely substituted by coal, increases in UK emissions would be observed; 4% for PM10, 3% for PM2.5, 3% for CO, 2% for SO2 and 1% for volatile organic compounds with a negligible effect on other pollutants.
	The majority of domestic LPG use takes place in rural areas where areas of exceedences of the limit values stipulated in legislation do not occur. The pollutants which are monitored as part of the Gothenburg Protocol and the National Emissions Ceiling Directive which the UK needs to reduce in order to meet its emissions ceiling are much lower when LPG is used compared to coal. However, the domestic sector is a small contributor.

Recycling

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to increase the proportion of commercial waste which is recycled; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 9 November 2010
	 The recycling rate of the commercial and industrial sector in England was 42% in 2002-03, when the last statistical survey of the sector was undertaken. We are currently undertaking a comparable survey, with the interim results to be published on 10 November 2010, and the final results scheduled for release in December 2010. This will give us an up-to-date picture of how much commercial waste is recycled. The review of waste policy, announced by the Secretary of State on 15 June, will consider how we can remove some of the barriers to recycling, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses, and how we can make it easier for businesses to recycle. This will help in our commitment to work towards a zero waste economy.

Rodents: Henderson Island

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if she will respond to the recent judgment by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee on the need for Government support for a rat eradication scheme for Henderson Island;
	(2)  if she will take steps to support the conservation of endangered wildlife on  (a) Henderson Island (Pitcairn) and  (b) Gough Island.

Richard Benyon: At its 34th meeting in July this year, UNESCO's World Heritage Committee commended the considerable progress made in planning the invasive rat eradication scheme for Henderson Island, and noted that further funding was needed to implement the scheme. To this end my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced, at the recent meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan, that the UK will be contributing £200,000 towards this initiative during the current year. This is in addition to funding for the project already provided by the Overseas Territories Environment Programme, administered by the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Government will consider plans for carrying out similar activities on Gough Island as and when they are received.

Water Supply: Leaks

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she plans to take in respect of water companies identified by Ofwat as failing to reduce excessive water leakage.

Richard Benyon: Ofwat has detailed the steps it is taking to reverse recent rises in leakage at some companies in its 2009-10 service and delivery report. The document is available on its website.
	An explanation of the actions Ofwat has taken in the past against companies that have failed their leakage targets is included in the report.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Dealing with the Past

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what factors he plans to take into account in taking further steps to secure progress in dealing with the past in Northern Ireland.

Owen Paterson: The Government are committed to playing their full role in dealing with the past in Northern Ireland, working with the Northern Ireland Assembly. The current absence of consensus on the issue of the past, and the views of victims and others who experienced the troubles, are among the factors which are being taken into account.

Community Policing

Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the outcomes of the comprehensive spending review on the capacity of community policing in Northern Ireland to reduce the threat to security from dissident activity.

Owen Paterson: Following the outcome of the 2010 spending review, the Northern Ireland Executive are now aware of their funding allocation for the next four years. It is for the Executive to decide what proportion of this funding is allocated to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
	The Government are committed to ensuring the security of the people of Northern Ireland and it is essential that the Chief Constable has the appropriate resources to allow him to ensure that he can continue to tackle the threat. But we all acknowledge that that these resources would be better invested in dealing with community policing and issues such as antisocial behaviour and drugs, rather than on those who impose their views through intimidation and violence.

Public Sector Employment

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the likely effects of the recommendations of his paper on rebalancing the Northern Ireland economy on the number of people employed in the public sector in Northern Ireland.

Hugo Swire: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have regular discussions with Treasury and Northern Ireland Ministers on these matters.
	The paper will be published for consultation before the end of the year.

Police Service of Northern Ireland

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Justice Minister on the resources required by the Police Service of Northern Ireland in 2011-12 to counter security threats.

Owen Paterson: I meet regularly with both the Justice Minister and the Chief Constable to discuss a range of issues, including PSNI resources. It is for the Justice Minister and the Chief Constable to negotiate and agree the policing budget with the Northern Ireland Executive. But my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and I have made it clear that we will protect the people of our country from the terrorist threat with every means at our disposal.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

BBC: Commonwealth Games 2014

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire (Pete Wishart) on 25 October 2010,  Official Report, column 10, on the Commonwealth Games 2014, what representations he has made to the BBC Trust on the BBC's decision to withdraw as host broadcaster of the 2014 Commonwealth Games; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 8 November 2010
	The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport has not made any representations to the BBC Trust on this matter.

Departmental Travel

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate his Department has made of its expenditure on travel undertaken by  (a) him and  (b) each other Minister in his Department in (i) September and (ii) October 2010.

John Penrose: The total amount spent by the Department during September and October 2010 on all domestic and foreign travel by Ministers in their official capacity is set out in the table.
	
		
			  Minister  Month  Estimated spend (£) 
			 Secretary of State September 231 
			  October 1,889 
			
			 Ministerial team September 753 
			  October 630 
		
	
	This is an estimated cost from records currently held by the Department. Some invoices for travel have not yet been received by the Department and could not therefore be included.

Horse Racing: Betting

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what representations on the horserace betting levy he has received from the Racing United campaign; and if he will take steps to ensure that all areas of the betting industry contribute to that levy.

John Penrose: I have received a number of representations, on behalf of racing, about the Horserace Betting Levy, including those setting out the position of Racing United.
	The Government recently announced their intention to remove the Secretary of State's role of determining the levy scheme when the parties are unable to reach agreement. This will require changes to primary legislation and will not have effect until Parliament has approved such changes.
	We will be discussing the options with the Levy Board and the racing and betting industries, to ensure that funding for racing is fair and is collected from as broad a base as possible.

Horse Racing: Betting

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will include in the scope of any future review of remote gambling the potential contribution of all gambling operators to the horserace betting levy.

John Penrose: A consultation on the Regulatory Future of Remote Gambling in Great Britain closed on 18 June 2010. Since then, I have been examining the issues and identifying possible solutions.
	I have also received advice from the Levy Board about securing fair contributions from overseas betting operators towards the Horserace Betting Levy. I hope to be able to make an announcement in due course.

Local Broadcasting: Television

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent progress his Department has made on encouraging commercially-sustainable local television.

Edward Vaizey: Nicholas Shott, head of UK investment banking at Lazard, will shortly conclude his independent review on the conditions necessary for commercially sustainable local television to emerge in the UK.
	This will be published on the Department's website in due course, followed by a local media action plan due to be published in the new year.
	The recent BBC funding settlement has secured a total of £25 million to help fund the capital costs in 2013-14 for up to 20 local TV services, subject to any necessary regulatory approval. The BBC will also commit to ongoing funding of up to £5 million per annum from 2014-15 to acquire content from local services.
	In addition, the Government will shortly lay an order to remove the local cross-media ownership rules to promote a strong and secure local media industry.

National Lottery: Armed Forces

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 1 November 2010,  Official Report, column 555W, on the National Lottery: armed forces, which countries in which personnel are serving are affected by the restrictions on buying lottery tickets.

John Penrose: holding answer 8 November 2010
	We do not currently hold a list of jurisdictions where it is illegal to buy UK national lottery tickets, although I understand that many countries outlaw participation in foreign lotteries and some prohibit any form of gambling. Given that other countries' laws are subject to change, the National Lottery Commission had decided that the best way to protect players from buying invalid tickets, or inadvertently putting themselves at risk of prosecution in foreign jurisdictions, was to introduce a new rule preventing anyone from buying a UK lottery ticket abroad.
	However, I have now written to the NLC to ask them to reconsider how we can allow armed forces personnel (and others) to participate from those countries where purchasing UK lottery tickets is lawful.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developing Countries: Education

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking in conflict-affected countries to  (a) reduce the drop-out rate from and  (b) increase access to education for girls.

Stephen O'Brien: As laid out in "The Coalition: our programme for government", the UK Government will prioritise increasing access to basic services, such as health and education, for the world's poorest people; including a particular focus on the rights of women and girls. Girls who progress to secondary education have better maternal health, fewer and healthier children and greater economic opportunities.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) is currently reviewing its aid programmes to determine how we can achieve better value for money for the taxpayer, accelerate growth and achieve the millennium development goals. This includes a review of our emergency response programme, which will look at the provision of education in the immediate aftermath of conflict or natural disaster.
	With over half of primary aged children not enrolled in school living in fragile and conflict-affected states-a total of 39 million children out of an estimated 69 million worldwide-we recognise the need to promote education, particularly for girls, in fragile and conflict-affected states. As such, the Government have committed to spend 30% of UK overseas development aid on supporting conflict affected and fragile states and tackling the drivers of instability by 2014-15.

Developing Countries: Tuberculosis

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department has allocated to international tuberculosis control in each of the last five years.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) supports tuberculosis (TB) control through a variety of bilateral channels, including funding for infectious diseases at country level, strengthening health systems in our partner countries to deliver TB programmes and funding research. Our direct bilateral spend on infectious diseases, including TB, increased from £101 million in 2005-06 to £117 million in 2009-10. We also support TB control through multilateral channels, including the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. The UK has contributed £465 million to the Global Fund since 2005. Over the last five years approximately 33% of proposals approved by the Global Fund were TB-related and 15% of Global Fund funding has been disbursed on TB programmes. We are unable to accurately disaggregate DFID expenditure for TB control from these wider interventions.

Developing Countries: Tuberculosis

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding he plans to allocate to international tuberculosis control in each year from 2011 to 2015.

Stephen O'Brien: The UK remains strongly committed to reducing death and suffering from tuberculosis. The Department for International Development is currently reviewing its aid programmes to determine how to achieve better value for money for the taxpayer and accelerate progress towards achieving all the millennium development goals. We will review our forward approach to tuberculosis once the bilateral and multilateral aid reviews are complete.

Institute for Fiscal Studies

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on services provided by the Institute for Fiscal Studies in each year from 2000-01 to 2007-08.

Alan Duncan: Payments made by the Department for International Development (DFID) to the Institute for Fiscal Studies since 2002-03 is as follows. Information prior to 2002-03 is not captured in DFID's central accounting system and, therefore, cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   Amount (£) 
			 2002-03 0 
			 2003-04 3,094 
			 2004-05 0 
			 2005-06 0 
			 2007-08 95 
			 2008-09 0 
			 2009-10 0

EDUCATION

Children in Care

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children  (a) were taken into care (excluding respite care),  (b) left care and  (c) were adopted in each of the last five years; how many were in care on 31 March 2010; and what proportion of children left care through adoption in each of the last five years.

Tim Loughton: The requested information is available as part of the Statistical First Release, Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England (including adoption and care leavers)-year ending 31 March 2010. This can be found at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000960/index.shtml
	Information on the number of children taken into care can be found in table C4, information on the number of children who have left care is found in table D1 and information on the total number of children looked-after as at 31 March is found in table A1. Information on the number of children adopted and the proportion of children who left care through adoption is found in table D1. These tables can be found in the Excel link titled 'England Summary tables'.

Children In Care

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many looked-after children  (a) were taken into care in each of the last five years,  (b) were in care on the latest period for which figures are available and  (c) had been in care for more than (i) three months, (ii) six months and (iii) a year in the latest period for which figures are available.

Tim Loughton: The number of looked-after children taken into care in each of the last five years is available in table C4 in the Statistical First Release, Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England (including adoption and care leavers)-year ending 31 March 2010. This can be found at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000960/index.shtml
	The number of looked-after children at 31 March 2010 can be found in table A1 of the same publication. Both tables can be found in the Excel link titled 'England Summary tables'. These tables contain the latest available information.
	The requested information regarding the duration of time spent in care is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Children looked-after at 31 March for (a) over three months, (b) over six months, and (c) over one year, at 31 March 2010( 1, 2, 3) , year ending 31 March 2010, coverage: England 
			  Duration of time in care  Number 
			 Over three months 58,300 
			 Over six months 53,100 
			 Over one year 44,300 
			 (1) England figures have been rounded to the nearest 100. (2) Figures exclude children looked-after under an agreed series of short-term placements. (3) These figures are presented on a cumulative basis e.g. a child that is included in the 'over one year' category has also been included in the 'over six months' category.  Source: SSDA 903.

Departmental Reviews

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what departmental policy reviews his Department has undertaken since 6 May 2010; on what date each such review  (a) was announced and  (b) is expected to publish its findings; what estimate he has made of the cost of each such review; who has been appointed to lead each such review; to what remuneration each review leader is entitled; how many (i) full-time equivalent civil servants and (ii) seconded staff are working on each such review; from which organisations such staff have been seconded; and how much on average such seconded staff will be paid for their work on the review.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education is leading six policy reviews, all announced since 6 May 2010. All are still under way. Details on publication dates, costs and staffing levels for each review follow (please note that secondees are defined as staff seconded to the reviews from outside of Whitehall).
	 1. Munro review
	The review was announced on 10 June 2010 and is intended to report in April 2011, with an interim report in January 2011. A first report was published on 1 October 2010 and can be found at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/munroreview/downloads/TheMunroReviewofChildProtection-Part%20one.pdf
	Our current estimate of the cost of the review is £100,000.
	Professor Eileen Munro of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is leading the review. She is supported by Dr David Lane, an expert in systems theory. Professor Munro and Dr Lane are paid by the LSE, and the Department is reimbursing the LSE for 80% of Professor Munro's salary for the duration of the review and 100% of Dr Lane's for one term, and they are also both entitled to claim reasonable travel expenses. There are 16.15 full-time equivalent civil servants working on the review, which is focused on improving frontline practice in child protection. Two people have been seconded from outside Whitehall-one full-time and one part-time-from Staffordshire county council and the National Children's Bureau. The National Children's Bureau secondee continues to be paid by them at no cost to the Department. The local authority employee is a Grade 16 (spinal column point 71-73) which corresponds to a current salary scale of £77,682 to £81,567. The local authority is continuing to pay their salary and the Department for Education is reimbursing them.
	 2. Review of vocational education
	The review was announced on 9 September 2010 and is expected to report in spring 2011. The cost of the review is yet to be estimated.
	The review is being led by Professor Alison Wolf, and her employer (King's College, London) is being reimbursed for her time. Professor Wolf is entitled to claim expenses. There are three full-time equivalent civil servants working on the review, including analysts, and no individuals have been seconded from outside Whitehall to assist with the review.
	 3. Capital review
	The review was announced on 5 July 2010 and will be completed by the end of the calendar year. The cost of the review is estimated to be up to £100,000.
	The review is being led by Sebastian James, Group Operations Director of DSG International, who is not being paid by the Department but is entitled to claim essential expenses. There are 11 civil servants working on the review. No individuals have been seconded from outside Whitehall to assist with the review.
	 4. Early years foundation stage review
	The review was announced on 6 July 2010 and is expected to report in spring 2011. The cost of the review is estimated to be around £100,000, with an additional amount of up to £250,000 covering associated research.
	The review is being led by Dame Clare Tickell. Dame Clare is chief executive of Action for Children, so DFE is paying a salary reimbursement to them for her time between July 2010 and March 2011 (up to an estimated £21,520 plus VAT). There are seven full-time equivalent civil servants working on the review, and no individuals have been seconded from outside Whitehall to assist with the review.
	 5. Review of the Children's Commissioner
	The review was announced on 12 July 2010. The expected date of report is end of November 2010. The cost of the review is estimated to be around £50,000.
	The review is being led by John Dunford, who is being remunerated at a rate of £500 per day for carrying out the review, and is entitled to claim expenses. Our expectation is that the role will take approximately 40 days. His remuneration is included in the overall budget of £50,000. There are three full-time equivalent civil servants working on the review, and no individuals have been seconded from outside Whitehall to assist with the review.
	 6. Children in Need census review
	The review was announced on 3 August 2010 and is expected to report in March 2011. The cost of the review is estimated to be around £7,000.
	The review is being led by Nigel Nicholds from Norfolk local authority, who is not being paid but is entitled to expenses. There are 0.1 full-time equivalent civil servants working on the review and secondments from outside Whitehall are yet to be confirmed.

Education: Young People

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will issue guidance to local authorities on the staffing levels necessary to deliver their statutory responsibilities for  (a) safeguarding,  (b) well-being and  (c) education of children and young people.

Tim Loughton: We have no plans to issue such guidance. Local authorities themselves are best placed to make decisions about the staffing levels required to deliver their responsibilities, in the light of local needs and circumstances and the available resources.

Foster Care: Per Capita Costs

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the annual average cost to social services of placing a child in foster care was in the last five years.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 8 November 2010
	The information is not held in the format requested.
	The following table shows expenditure on fostering services in England in the financial years 2004-05 to 2008-09.
	
		
			  Expenditure on fostering services( 1)  in England: 2004-05 to 2008-09( 2,3) 
			  £ 
			   Expenditure on fostering services (gross)( 4)  Expenditure on fostering services (net)( 4)  Expenditure per week on fostering services( 5) 
			 2004-05 880,000,000 880,000,000 384 
			 2005-06 960,000,000 960,000,000 420 
			 2006-07 1,050,000,000 1,050,000,000 463 
			 2007-08 1,110,000,000 1,110,000,000 489 
			 2008-09 1,130,000,000 1,080,000,000 - 
			 (1) Fostering services includes all in-house provision, fostering services purchased externally, fees and allowances paid to foster parents and the costs of social worker and other support staff who support foster carers. For example, mainstay placements; link placements; permanent placements; temporary/respite fostering; placements with relatives, other than a parent, under foster care; arrangements; placements with approved prospective adopters pending the making of an adoption order under the Adoption and Children Act 2002; associated independent visitor costs and relevant contact payments. (2) Expenditure data for 2004-05 to 2007-08 are drawn from PSSEX1 data published on the Information Centre for Health and Social Care website. (3) Expenditure data for 2008-09 are drawn from Table A1 of the local authority Section 251. (4) Figures rounded to nearest £10 million. (5) Per week figures are not currently available for the financial year 2008-09.

GCSE

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of maintained mainstream schools did not enter a single pupil for a chemistry GCSE examination in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of maintained mainstream schools did not enter a single pupil for a modern language GCSE examination in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many and what proportion of maintained mainstream schools did not enter a single pupil for a physics GCSE examination in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: Of the 3,083 maintained mainstream schools that had more than 10 pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 and were published in the 2009 Secondary Schools Achievement and Attainment Tables, 1,461 (47%) did not have any entries in GCSE chemistry, 25 (1%) did not have any entries in a modern foreign language GCSE and 1,467 (48%) did not have any entries in GCSE physics.

Home Education

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what  (a) A level and  (b) GCSE grades were awarded to home schooled children in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 21 October 2010
	The information requested is not held centrally by the Department. We have no plans to collect this information.

Private Education: Tax Relief

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on tax relief for private schools.

David Gauke: I have been asked to reply.
	Schools set up as charitable bodies that meet the definition of a charity for tax purposes are eligible for charitable tax reliefs in the same way as other charities. Non-charitable private schools are eligible for tax reliefs as for any other business.

Pupil Exclusions

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education in how many mainstream maintained schools more than 25 per cent. of pupils have received a fixed-period exclusion in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: In 2008/09 there were six mainstream schools, all state-funded secondary schools (1) where more than 25% of solely registered pupils (2) received a fixed period exclusion.
	(1) Includes local authority maintained schools and academies.
	(2) Headcount of solely registered pupils has been taken from January 2009 census. Schools which were not open at the January census have been excluded from the analysis.

Schools: Violence

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many  (a) pupils and  (b) teachers have been admitted to hospital as a result of violent attacks within schools in each year for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education does not collect or hold any data on injuries in school.
	The Health and Safety Executive holds data on injuries reported under RIDDOR (the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995). These include school-related injuries affecting employees and members of the public, including pupils.
	RIDDOR also requires the reporting of injuries resulting from acts of violence. However, only physical injuries resulting from acts of violence suffered by people at work are reportable. For the purposes of accident recording, school pupils are categorised as members of the public, ie not 'at work'. Therefore, acts of violence to school pupils are not reportable under RIDDOR as a discrete category within the overall figures on injuries to pupils.
	The coding of injury notifications under RIDDOR does not record whether the injured person was admitted to hospital.
	The following table details the number of reported injuries to teachers involving acts of violence since 2001. These include injuries to support staff.
	
		
			  Reported injuries to teachers involving acts of violence 2001/02 to 2009/10( 1) 
			   Severity of injury  
			   Reported non-fatal major injuries  Reported over-3-day injuries  All reported injuries 
			 2001/02 26 145 171 
			 2002/03 32 186 218 
			 2003/04 47 173 220 
			 2004/05 43 211 254 
			 2005/06 39 235 274 
			 2006/07 35 210 245 
			 2007/08 35 204 239 
			 2008/09 29 225 254 
			 2009/10(1) 44 207 251 
			 (1) Provisional.  Notes: 1. Injuries are reported and defined under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1995. The annual basis of reporting is the planning year from 1 April to 31 March. 2. The information available under RIDDOR includes three categories of severity of injury: fatal injuries, defined major injuries and other injuries to workers leading to more than three days absence (over-3-day). There are two categories of severity for members of the public: fatal and non-fatal injuries that cause a person to be taken from the site of the accident to hospital. Only physical injuries resulting from acts of violence suffered by people at work are reportable as a defined injury under RIDDOR. Physical injuries resulting from acts of violence suffered by members of the public are not reportable. 3. Teachers are identified using Standard Occupational Classification (SOC). This system is used in UK official statistics for classifying workers by the type of job they are engaged in. The latest version is SOC2000, which has been used in HSE statistics since planning year 2002/03. Prior to this SOC90 was used.

Written Questions: Government Responses

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to respond to question 18226, on children taken into care or adopted, tabled on 14 October 2010.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 1 November 2010
	A response has been issued to the hon. Member today.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Chinese: Falun Gong

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the policy of the Chinese Government towards practitioners of Falun Gong.

Jeremy Browne: We raised this issue at the UK/China Human Rights Dialogue, held in Beijing in March 2010. We asked for numbers of Falun Gong practitioners currently serving in Re-education Through Labour (RTL) camps. The Chinese side reported that they were currently implementing a pilot of a community correction scheme with a view to replacing Re-education Through Labour camps. They stressed that the scheme was only being piloted at present.
	We continue to have serious concerns about the mistreatment of Falun Gong adherents and regularly raise this issue with the Chinese Government. We have regularly urged the Chinese Government to reform the RTL system on the grounds that it lacks judicial oversight and contravenes international human rights standards.

Diplomatic Service

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of  (a) ambassadors and high commissioners and  (b) members of the Diplomatic Service were educated at (i) Oxford or Cambridge universities and (ii) independent schools.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold this data centrally on its employees. The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office aims to recruit a talented and diverse work force that reflects the society we serve and our recruitment policies are designed to encourage applications from the widest possible range of backgrounds. All external recruitment into the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is based on merit, and all campaigns must be fair and open.
	In addition, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's internal promotion and progression schemes are firmly meritocratic, based on objective and consistent criteria against which all candidates are assessed.

European Parliament

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of holding 12 plenary sessions of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

David Lidington: Estimates suggest that having two seats for the European Parliament currently costs the British taxpayer at least an additional £28 million per year. However the full cost to the EU budget of the European Parliament sessions in Strasbourg is not publicly available, since this is not itemised separately in the European Parliament's budget.

Gibraltar: Spain

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Spanish counterpart on  (a) the actions of the Spanish authorities at the La Linea border crossing and  (b) delays to UK- and Gibraltar-registered vehicles at that crossing.

David Lidington: We have raised our concerns about the Mayor of La Linea's earlier proposed plans to impose a charge on traffic entering/leaving Gibraltar with Spanish Ministers, making it clear that this is an issue for them to resolve. Our priority is to keep the traffic flowing at the border. We believe that the Spanish Government share this goal. They have reassured us that EU and Spanish law will be fully respected and that they do not consider that the Mayor of La Linea's earlier proposed actions would be legal. The Mayor has not implemented his proposals. However we continue to keep in close contact with the Government of Gibraltar and to monitor the situation at the border.

Iran: Baha'i Faith

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Iran on the detention of members of the Baha'i community in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We remain concerned for the Baha'i community in Iran. I met the Iranian ambassador on 20 September to discuss this and a range of other human rights issues. I made it clear that the UK remains extremely concerned by the sentencing of the seven Baha'i leaders to 20 years imprisonment, which we understand has now been reduced to 10 years. As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said in his statement of 11 August 2010, these sentences are unacceptable. Both the UK and the international community deplore the victimisation of the Baha'i faith by the Iranian state. We will continue to remind Iran of the international commitments it has freely signed up to, and urge the Iranian Government to cease their harassment of the Baha'i minority, and to respect the rights of all minority groups.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his  (a) Israeli and  (b) Palestinian counterparts on the Israeli Government's proposal for a compulsory oath of loyalty; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We attach importance to the values set out in Israel's Declaration of Independence and basic laws. We are concerned by anything that detracts from these and will be watching this debate carefully. We do not want to see steps to prejudice Israel's non-Jewish citizens or to discriminate against people on the basis of their religion.

Mordechai Vanunu

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will ask the Government of Israel to release Mordechai Vanunu.

Alistair Burt: holding answer of 8 November 2010
	While we are concerned by the developments in this case and monitor the situation, Mr Vanunu is not a UK national and we are therefore constrained in the attention we can give to this. The UK has a strong record of lobbying the Israeli Government hard on issues regarding human rights and those directly related to our foreign policy objectives. Therefore, our capacity to lobby on specific cases, especially on behalf of non-British Nationals, is extremely limited.

Taiwan: International Civil Aviation Organisation

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on Taiwan joining the International Civil Aviation Authority.

Jeremy Browne: The Government support Taiwan's practical participation in international organisations where this does not require statehood.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Electricity Generation

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the electricity production technologies which would  (a) enable affordable domestic and industrial prices and  (b) enable the UK to meet its emissions reduction targets.

Gregory Barker: The following table is taken from Mott Macdonald (2010) and gives levelised cost estimates (average generation cost per megawatt-hour) for new build plants in the main large-scale electricity generation technologies in the UK, including both fossil fuel and low carbon plant, at current engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract prices.
	It should be noted that for the purposes of presentation, the table only gives either 'FOAK' (first-of-a-kind) prices or 'NOAK' (nth-of-a-kind) prices for each technology.
	
		
			  Case 1: 10% discount rate, 2009 project start at today's EPC prices, with mixed FOAK/NOAK 
			  Levelised cost  Gas CCGT  Gas CCGT with CCS (FOAK)  ASC Coal  ASC Coal with CCS (FOAK)  Coal IGCC (FOAK)  Coal IGCC with CCS (FOAK)  Onshore wind  Offshore wind (FOAK)  Offshore wind  R3 (FOAK)  Nuclear PWR (FOAK) 
			 Capital costs 12.4 29.8 33.4 74.1 61.7 82.0 79.2 124.1 144.6 77.3 
			 Fixed operating costs 3.7 7.7 8.6 18.6 9.7 17.7 14.6 36.7 45.8 12.2 
			 Variable operating costs 2.3 3.6 2.2 4.7 3.4 4.6 - - - 2.1 
			 Fuel costs 46.9 65.0 19.9 28.7 20.3 28.3 - - - 5.3 
			 Carbon Costs 15.1 2.1 40.3 6.5 39.6 5.5 - - - - 
			 Decomm and waste fund - - - - - - - - - 2.1 
			 CO2 transport and storage - 4.3 - 9.6 - 9.5 - - - - 
			 Steam revenue - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Total levelised cost 80.3 112.5 104.5 142.1 134.6 147.6 93.9 160.9 190.5 99.0 
			  Source: Mott Macdonald (2010), UK Electricity Generation Costs Update, available at:  http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/statistics/projections/71-uk-electricity-generation-costs-update-.pdf 
		
	
	As new technologies are deployed it is likely that costs will fall due to learning. The following table sets out the estimated levelised costs for projects started in 2017 with the assumption that all technologies have reached 'nth of a kind' status.
	
		
			  Case 5: 10% discount rate, 2017 start at projected EPC prices, all NOAK 
			  Levelised cost  Gas CCGT  Gas CCGT with CCS  ASC Coal  ASC Coal with CCS  Coal IGCC  Coal IGCC with CCS  Onshore wind  Offshore wind  Offshore wind R3  Nuclear PWR 
			 Capital costs 11.2 20.7 28.7 47.8 33.7 46.5 71.7 89.4 97.0 49.6 
			 Fixed operating costs 3.7 6.0 8.6 13.8 8.0 12.3 - 23.0 30.9 9.1 
			 Variable operating costs 2.3 3.6 2.2 3.7 2.7 3.6 - - - 1.8 
			 Fuel costs 49.8 64.7 19.9 27.6 19.6 27.2 - - - 5.2 
			 Carbon costs 29.6 4.1 73.8 11.4 72.0 10.0 - - - - 
			 Decomm and waste fund - - - - - - - - - 2.1 
			 CO2 transport and storage - 3.5 - 7.6 - 7.5 - - - - 
			 Steam revenue - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Total levelised cost 96.5 102.6 133.2 111.9 136.0 107.1 86.3 112.4 127.9 67.8 
			  Source: Mott Macdonald (2010), UK Electricity Generation Costs Update, available at:  http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/statistics/projections/71-uk-electricity-generation-costs-update-.pdf 
		
	
	It should be noted that the estimates of levelised costs for different types of electricity generation are highly sensitive to the assumptions used for capital costs, fuel and EU emissions trading scheme allowance prices, operating costs, load factor, and other drivers, meaning that there is significant uncertainty around these estimates.

Housing: Insulation

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has made an estimate of the number of  (a) homes and  (b) businesses in (i) England, (ii) Hampshire and (iii) East Hampshire constituency which would be eligible for support for (A) loft insulation top-up, (B) cavity wall insulation, (C) internal solid wall insulation and (D) external solid wall insulation under the proposed Green Deal.

Gregory Barker: The Green Deal has the potential to improve the energy efficiency of up to 22 million homes in England and will generate new business opportunities. It is estimated that the Green Deal could drive 14 million individual installations in homes by 2020. Many of the 4.2 million businesses in England could also benefit from the Green Deal.
	The Department for Energy and Climate Change does not have a detailed assessment of the potential in East Hampshire at this stage, however it is anticipated that householders and businesses across all tenures will be able to benefit from the new framework.

Wind Power: Cost-effectiveness

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the cost-efficiency of producing carbon-free electricity from onshore wind farms compared with  (a) nuclear power and  (b) other methods; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: The following table is taken from Mott Macdonald (2010) and gives levelised cost estimates (average generation cost per megawatt-hour) for new build plants in the main large-scale electricity generation technologies in the UK, including onshore wind, offshore wind and nuclear, at current engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract prices.
	
		
			  Table 1: Mott Macdonald (2010) levelised costs (Case 1: 10% discount rate, 2009 project start at today's EPC prices, with mixed FOAK/NOAK) 
			  Levelised  c ost  Gas CCGT  Gas CCGT with CCS-FOAK  ASC coal  ASC coal with CCS-FOAK  Coal IGCC- FOAK  Coal IGCC with CCS-FOAK  Onshore wind  Offshore wind-FOAK  Offshore wind R3-FOAK  Nuclear PWR-FOAK 
			 Capital costs 12.4 29.8 33.4 74.1 61.7 82.0 79.2 124.1 144.6 77.3 
			 Fixed operating costs 3.7 7.7 8.6 18.6 9.7 17.7 14.6 36.7 45.8 12.2 
			 Variable operating costs 2.3 3.6 2.2 4.7 3.4 4.6 - - - 2.1 
			 Fuel costs 46.9 65.0 19.9 28.7 20.3 28.3 - - - 5.3 
			 Carbon costs 15.1 2.1 40.3 6.5 39.6 5.5 - - - - 
			 Decomm and waste fund - - - - - - - - - 2.1 
			 CO2 transport and storage - 4.3 - 9.6 - 9.5 - - - - 
			 Steam revenue - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Total levelised cost 80.3 112.5 104.5 142.1 134.6 147.6 93.9 160.9 190.5 99.0 
			  Source: Mott Macdonald (2010), UK Electricity Generation Costs Update, available at: http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/Statistics/Projections/71-uk-electricity-generation-costs-update.pdf 
		
	
	It should be noted that for the purposes of presentation, the table only gives either 'FOAK' (first-of-a-kind) prices or 'NOAK' (nth-of-a-kind) prices for each technology. On offshore wind, for example, it shows offshore wind 'FOAK' prices, whereas the round 2 technology may be considered to have progressed towards 'NOAK' prices. Mott Macdonald estimate 'NOAK' offshore wind costs at £125/MWh (10% discount rate, 2009 project start at today's EPC prices).

TRANSPORT

Airports: Thames Estuary

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received on the development of an international airport on the Hoo Peninsula, Medway.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 1 November 2010
	 None directly, although we have received several letters about possible airport development in and around the Thames Estuary. The Department has no plans for a new airport in the Thames Estuary, nor any other part of Medway or Kent.
	Our priority is to get the most out of existing airport infrastructure in the South East, which is why I am chairing the taskforce announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in his written ministerial statement on 15 June 2010,  Official Report, column 48WS, to improve operations at the major South East airports.

Blue Badge Scheme

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to review the operation of the Blue Badge scheme for parking concessions.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport is currently reviewing the Blue Badge scheme. An announcement on how we plan to take the scheme forward will be made shortly.

Crossrail: Abbey Wood

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in which year he expects the Crossrail station at Abbey Wood to be operational.

Theresa Villiers: h olding answer 8 November 2010
	 : Under the revised programme for the construction of the central tunnels, we expect that phased introduction of Crossrail services will commence from 2018.

Crossrail: Abbey Wood

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had with Southeastern Railway on interchange facilities with Crossrail services at Abbey Wood station; and what step-free interchange facilities he expects to be available in that station when it is rebuilt.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 4 November 2010
	Crossrail Ltd is working with Network Rail, which is responsible for the construction of the Crossrail. On network works, including Abbey Wood station, network Rail is leading the discussions with Southeastern on the impacts on and improvements to the railway as a result of these works.
	The Crossrail station at Abbey Wood is expected to include full provision for people with restricted mobility, with lifts from ground level and road over-bridge access to ticket halls and the Crossrail platforms.

Crossrail: Finance

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how much funding he plans to allocate to Crossrail in each year of the spending review period;
	(2)  what proportion of his Department's budget he plans to allocate to Crossrail in each year of the spending review period; and what proportion of that budget has been allocated to Crossrail in each year since the inception of that project.

Theresa Villiers: As set out in the 'Spending Review 2010: Transport for London funding agreement' letter from the Secretary of State to the Mayor of London of 20 October 2010, published on the Department for Transport's website, the funding allocated by the Secretary of State will be as follows:
	
		
			   2011-12  2012-13  2013-14  2014-15 
			 Secretary of State's Crossrail capital grant (£ million) 517 1,205 1,123 1,082 
			 Percentage of DFT budget 4 9 9 9 
		
	
	Crossrail funding represented 2% of the Department's budget in 2010-11, 1% in 2009-10 and below 1% in earlier years.

Ferries: Highlands and Islands

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he plans to take to ensure adequate marine emergency coverage for the Highlands and Islands following the removal of the Anglian Prince tug boat in 2011.

Michael Penning: holding answer 4 November 2010
	The current contract for the provision of emergency towing vessels at public expense will not be renewed when it expires in September 2011. Between now and the end of the contract, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency intends to work with the shipping and wider maritime industries, and also with local interested parties, local authorities and the Scottish Government, to explore options for ensuring the effective operation of commercial arrangements in the future.

Highways Agency: Finance

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of schemes in the supported  (a) development and  (b) pre-qualification pool for major schemes; and what his Department's budget is for major schemes for (i) 2010-11 and (ii) each of the three subsequent years.

Norman Baker: The total of the most recently requested or approved Department for Transport contribution for all the schemes in the three pools, and the maximum amount that would be expected to fall within the spending review period is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   DFT contribution requested or previously approved  Of which maximum falling within the spending review period 
			 Supported pool 408 325 
			 Development pool 930 700 
			 Pre-qualification pool 1,246 817 
		
	
	However, we will be inviting revised funding bids from the local authorities concerned with a view to reducing the overall call on Department for Transport funding, and before deciding by the end of 2011 which of these schemes should be taken forward for funding.
	The Department is not able to make a reliable and up to date estimate of the total public sector cost including local authorities' own contributions, but will be seeking this information as part of the invitation to authorities to submit Best and Final Funding Bids (for schemes in the Supported Pool) and Expressions of Interest (for other schemes) by the end of December.
	The Department's budget for local authority major schemes in 2010-11 and the spending review years is as follows. This includes provision for existing committed schemes, not mentioned above.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2010-11 494 
			 2011-12 418 
			 2012-13 364 
			 2013-14 335 
			 2014-15 427

Railways: Electrification

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what timetable has been set for the electrification of the  (a) Manchester to Liverpool and  (b) Manchester-Preston-Blackpool line.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 26 October 2010
	 On 20 October 2010, the Chancellor announced that electrification of the lines between Manchester, Liverpool, Preston and Blackpool would go ahead. We are working with Network Rail to determine the timetable for the completion of these schemes, and will make an announcement in due course.

Railways: Fares

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has made a recent estimate of the likely effect on his Department's progress on carbon dioxide emission targets of proposed increases in rail fares.

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the likely effects on the environment of his proposals to increase the cap on regulated rail fares to 3% above the retail price index for three years from 2012.

Theresa Villiers: The Government are committed to ensuring that transport plays a full role in delivering the UK's climate change targets. We will continue to monitor the carbon impact of policy and investment decisions to ensure we remain on course to deliver those targets.
	Emissions of greenhouse gases from the transport sector are projected to fall significantly over the coming decade, in large part as a result of improvements to the fuel efficiency of new vehicles and the uptake of low carbon fuels.
	The Department for Transport has not made a detailed estimate of the likely effects of increases in rail fares on transport emissions. Although the announced fare increases may encourage some modal shift away from rail, the overall impact on carbon emissions is likely to be small. The fare increase was one element of the spending review announcement. Other measures such as the local sustainable transport fund and the package of support for ultra low carbon vehicles are expected to lead to reductions in carbon emissions.

Railways: Fares

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether he has made an estimate of the likely effect on the number of car journeys of proposed increases in rail fares;
	(2)  whether he has made an estimate of the likely effect on the number of passenger coach journeys of the proposed increases in rail fares.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport has not made a detailed estimate of the likely effects of increases in rail fares on other modes.
	Although the announced fare increases may encourage some modal shift away from rail, the overall impact on other modes is likely to be small.

Railways: Fares

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the likely effect on rail passenger numbers of the proposed increase in the cap on regulated rail fares to 3% above the retail price index for three years from 2012.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the likely effect on the level of passenger rail use of an RPI+3 formula for fares;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the likely effect on the number of passengers using rail services of the proposed increases in rail fares.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport expects that passenger journeys will continue to increase during the period from 2012 to 2014 when fares are due to rise by 3% above the retail price index (RPI) of inflation. It is estimated that the level of patronage will be up to 4% lower than it would have been had the cap remained at RPI+1%.

Railways: North West

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the economy of rail congestion in principal cities in the Northern Hub.

Theresa Villiers: The aim of the Northern Hub study was to identify a preferred value for money option which would deliver economic benefits to the north of England through improving rail connectivity across the north and increasing the capacity of the rail network to accommodate long-term growth.
	Rail congestion was not considered an issue in the Northern Hub study or in the subsequent draft northern route utilisation strategy (RUS) so no estimate has been made to the cost of the economy arising from it.

Railways: North West

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the economic effect on  (a) the North West and  (b) Yorkshire and the Humber region of the Northern Hub.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 8 November 2010
	Network Rail's study into the strategic options available calculated that the preferred Northern Hub option would add £4.23 billion benefits to the north of England over a 60 year period. This figure was not disaggregated between regions of the north of England.

Railways: North West

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what capital allocations his Department has made for the implementation of the Northern Hub for each year of the spending review.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 8 November 2010
	As part of the preparation for the next high level output specification, we will consider whether a Northern Hub scheme can be funded and what progress can be made on the project during the next Network Rail control period (2014-15 to 2019-20).
	Since the spending review only covers the period up to 2015, no capital funding has been specifically allocated to the Northern Hub as yet. However, officials at the Department for Transport continue to work with Network Rail along with GMPTE on developing the case for the Northern Hub. I have visited Manchester for discussions on this proposal.

Railways: North West

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what timetable he has set for the implementation of the Northern Hub initiative.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 8 November 2010
	As part of the preparation for the next high level output specification, we will consider whether a Northern Hub scheme can be funded and what progress can be made on the project during the next Network Rail control period (2014-15 to 2019-20). It would be premature to set a formal timetable for the project at this stage. However, officials at the Department for Transport continue to work with Network Rail, train operators and GMPTE on developing the case for the Northern Hub. I have visited Manchester for discussions on this proposal.

Road Traffic: Morecambe

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the potential effects on traffic levels on trunk roads in Lancaster and Morecambe constituency of Lancashire County Council's Faber Maunsell plan.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has no plans to assess the potential effects of Lancashire county council's Faber Maunsell plan on traffic levels on trunk roads in Lancaster and Morecambe. The Secretary of State announced on 26 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 177-79, that it will fund the Heysham-M6 Link Road scheme, subject to a revised funding bid from Lancashire county council and the satisfactory completion of all remaining statutory procedures.

Roads: Safety

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff in his Department were in posts with responsibility for road safety issues in October 2010; and how many such posts he expects there to be in October 2011.

Norman Baker: It is impossible to identify precisely the number of staff within the central Department with responsibility for road safety issues. While we have dedicated teams with road safety responsibility-principally the road user safety team, agency policy and sponsorship functions, and the team responsible for negotiating vehicle safety standards-road safety is also an important goal for many other parts of the Department (including but not exclusively the marketing team, the traffic management team, and the walking and cycling team).
	The central Department and its Executive Agencies recorded the following full-time equivalent (FTE) posts who are responsible exclusively or mainly for working on road safety issues:
	
		
			  Road safety posts  Permanent  Non-permanent 
			 DfT(c) 131.5 3 
			 DSA 2450 5 
			 DVLA 0 0 
			 GCDA 0 0 
			 HA - - 
			 MCA 0 0 
			 VCA 131 1 
			 VOSA 2,336.97 46.18 
			 Total 5049.47 55.18 
			  Notes: 1. Figures as at end October 2010. 2. DfTc. Covers some posts in Road and Vehicle Safety and Standards Directorate and Transformation Licensing Logistics and Sponsorship. Other posts with responsibility for road safety issues exist in other directorates. 3. The table gives total employee numbers for HA, DSA and VOSA given that all these agencies have road safety as a core concern. 4. VCA consider 131.5 permanent and one non-permanent member of staff have road safety as a core concern. 
		
	
	The Department is in the process of reviewing its structure in light of the Government's spending review. Future staff numbers will be determined as part of that process.

Transport for London: Grants

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department allocated in grant to Transport for London (TfL) for 2010-11  (a) prior to and  (b) after his Department's in-year spending reductions; and what such funding his Department plans to allocate (i) in general grant, (ii) to Crossrail, (iii) to Metronet and (iv) under each other grant flow to TfL in each of the next three years.

Theresa Villiers: Prior to in-year savings, funding for Transport for London in 2010-11 consisted of:
	Greater London Authority transport grant of £2,871,589,000
	Two capital grants towards costs associated with the former Metronet public-private partnership, totalling £392,500,000
	London overground grant of £24,932,347
	A small number of other smaller payments
	As a result of in-year savings, total funding for TfL in 2010-11 was reduced by £108,000,000.
	The Secretary of State set out his intentions in relation to funding for Transport for London, including Crossrail and the companies into which the former Metronet PPP contracts have been transferred, for the years 2011-12 to 2014-15 in a letter to the Mayor of London dated 20 October. This letter has been published on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/press/letters/tflfunding/

Transport: Finance

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the oral statement of 26 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 177-79, on transport (investment), what guidance he has issued to local authorities submitting revised bids on local authority major schemes in the supported pool.

Norman Baker: holding answer 3 November 2010
	In addition to the oral statement the Department for Transport provided Members with a document entitled 'Investment in Local Major Transport Schemes' which sets out our proposals in more detail, including the submission of revised bids. This document has been sent to local authorities with schemes involved in the process including those in the supported pool. We are already in discussion with these authorities and will provide them with further detailed guidance very shortly.

Transport: Finance

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the oral statement of 26 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 177-79, on transport (investment), what estimate he has made of the cost of the local authority major schemes in the development pool.

Norman Baker: holding answer 3 November 2010
	 The total of the most recently requested or approved Department for Transport contribution for all the schemes in the Development Pool is around £930 million, of which we estimate that no more than £700 million would fall in the spending review period.
	However we will be inviting revised funding bids from the local authorities concerned with a view to reducing the overall call on Department for Transport funding, and before deciding by the end of 2011 which of these schemes should be taken forward for funding.

CABINET OFFICE

Civil Servants: Recruitment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many  (a) applicants and  (b) acceptances of each (i) gender, (ii) ethnicity and (iii) socio-economic group there were to the Civil Service Fast Stream in each year since 2000.

Francis Maude: Data on the social class of applicants and appointees to the Fast Stream are not available. Monitoring of the socio-economic background of applicants and appointees will begin with effect from the 2011 entry competition.
	Data on the gender and ethnicity of applicants and appointees are available in the annual Fast Stream reports, published on the Cabinet Office website at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/about-cabinet-office/plans-performance/faststream.aspx

Civil Servants: Recruitment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of successful applicants to the Civil Service Fast Stream in each year since 2001 were educated at  (a) Oxford and  (b) Cambridge University.

Francis Maude: The proportion of successful applicants to the Fast Stream since 2001 who were educated at Oxford and Cambridge universities is as follows.
	
		
			   Oxford  Cambridge  Total appointees 
			 2001 14.01% (59) 14.01% (59) 421 
			 2002 14.60% (60) 12.90% (53) 411 
			 2003 17.65% (90) 18.04% (92) 510 
			 2004 19.27% (90) 16.49% (77) 467 
			 2005 16.66% (84) 13.10% (66) 504 
			 2006 17.44% (83) 13.66% (65) 476 
			 2007 18.42% (70) 12.90% (49) 380 
			 2008 15.44% (88) 13.68% (78) 570 
			 2009 16.53% (104) 9.70% (61) 629

Departmental Redundancy

Angela Eagle: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of redundancies arising from the spending reductions proposed in the comprehensive spending review in respect of  (a) his Department,  (b) its non-departmental public bodies and  (c) other public bodies which are dependent on his Department for funding.

Francis Maude: In respect of  (a) we expect the size of the Cabinet Office to reduce by about 20% given its current functions over the spending review period. Natural turnover will deliver some of the reductions, however the Department is planning a voluntary departure programme in 2010-11 to support the reductions needed to achieve this target.
	In respect of  (b) and  (c), the recent review of public bodies recommended that seven of the Cabinet Office's 14 public bodies should no longer remain NDPBs:
	Civil Service Appeals Board;
	Government Strategic Marketing Advisory Board;
	Main Honours Advisory Committee;
	Security Commission;
	Office for Civil Society Advisory Board;
	Capacitybuilders;
	Commission for the Compact.
	The first five are small advisory bodies supported by Cabinet Office staff who will be absorbed back into the Cabinet Office and/or redeployed to other work.
	There are no plans for redundancies in respect of staff supporting the work of the remaining advisory bodies-Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, House of Lords Appointments Commission, Security Vetting Appeals Panel, and the Committee for Standards in Public Life. The remaining Cabinet Office public body, the Boundary Commission for England, has staff seconded from the Cabinet Office. The staffing of the Commission is projected to increase over the 2011-12 period to meet the requirements of the next parliamentary boundary review and to revert to a staffing level comparable to that used for past reviews.
	Alternative arrangements for the work of Capacitybuilders and the Commission for the Compact are currently under review.
	The Central Office of Information has recently completed a redundancy exercise which was not part of the comprehensive spending review. 287 staff exits were made through a compulsory exercise, mitigated with some voluntary redundancies.
	Any further changes to the status of the Central Office of Information are under consideration as part of a review which will report at the end of November.
	The status of the National School of Government remains under consideration and will be announced in due course.
	There are currently no plans for redundancies at the National School of Government following the spending review settlement. Any decisions about the National School of Government are expected to be made as part of the arm's length bodies review.

Government Departments: Photography

Iain Wright: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many photographers are employed by Government Departments.

Francis Maude: holding answer 8 November 2010
	This information is not collected centrally.

Government Departments: Procurement

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether the 25 per cent. aspiration set for Government contracts to be awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises is to be measured as a proportion of  (a) the monetary value of the contract,  (b) the total number of contracts awarded by each Department or  (c) committee measure.

Francis Maude: holding answer 8 November 2010
	As set out in the coalition programme, the aspiration is for 25% of the total number of Government contracts to go to SMEs.

Government Departments: Procurement

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether the 25% aspiration for the award of Government contracts to small and medium-sized enterprises applies to each Government Department or to the total number of such contracts awarded.

Francis Maude: holding answer 8 November 2010
	The aspiration is for 25% of the total number of Government contracts to go to SMEs. It is not our intention that each Department should award 25% of its contracts to SMEs.

Government Departments: Procurement

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the average cost to a supplier of completing a pre-qualification questionnaire for contracts with Government Departments.

Francis Maude: This information is not held centrally, but, as announced on 1 November, we are mandating that Government Departments use a simplified standard pre-qualification questionnaire to reduce the burden on suppliers.

Government Departments: Procurement

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what timetable he has set for Government departments to agree plans of action to increase the number of contracts awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises.

Francis Maude: We intend to agree actions with individual Departments once baseline figures for SMEs in procurement are published later this month.

Government Departments: Procurement

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of potential suppliers of Government Departments who completed pre-qualification questionnaires in the last five years received no contracts from any Department in  (a) that financial year and  (b) the three financial years following submission of the questionnaire.

Francis Maude: This information is not held centrally, but, as announced on 1 November, we are mandating that Government Departments use a simplified standard pre-qualification questionnaire to reduce the burden on suppliers.

Members: Correspondence

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he expects the Cabinet Secretary to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Cardiff West of 20 September 2010 in relation to a Civil Service appointment.

Francis Maude: holding answer 8 November 2010
	A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 4 November 2010.

Public Bodies Bill 2010-2011: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with Welsh Assembly Government  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials on the likely effects on public bodies in Wales of the implementation of the provisions of the Public Bodies Bill;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with Welsh Assembly Government  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials on the likely effects of the provisions of the Public Bodies Bill on legislative competences in Wales (i) prior to and (ii) after a referendum on Part 4 of the Government of Wales Act 2006.

Francis Maude: There has been an extensive process of communication and dialogue with the devolved Administrations in the development of proposals for public bodies reform. Cabinet Office officials have been in regular contact with counterparts in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. I have also corresponded with colleagues in the devolved Administrations on a number of occasions prior to publication of the Public Bodies Bill.

Public Bodies Bill

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what consideration he gave to making provision in the Public Bodies Bill [Lords] for changes to the Skills Funding Agency.

Francis Maude: holding answer 9 November 2010
	The scope of the Public Bodies Bill is restricted to non-departmental public bodies, non-ministerial departments and public corporations. The Skills Funding Agency is an Executive Agency of the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and therefore out of scope of the review process and the Bill.

Public Expenditure

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether his Department has established processes to monitor any effects of proposed reductions in its expenditure.

Francis Maude: My Department is assessing the effects of its spending review settlement.

Voluntary Organisations: Local Government

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether he plans to review the guidelines on commissioning between local government and the voluntary sector.

Nick Hurd: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has responsibility for local government. The coalition's programme for government includes a commitment to promote the radical devolution of power and greater financial autonomy to local government and community groups. The Government also run a national training programme for public sector commissioners which includes those from local authorities. The Government will also be building on the work of the Partnership Improvement Programme (PIP), and the new package will develop support to statutory partners and civil society organisations in working together on issues including commissioning practice.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Access to Work Programme

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will extend the Access to Work programme to cover the costs associated with  (a) attendance at interviews and  (b) participation in work experience placements and internships.

Maria Miller: The Access to Work programme can fund the costs of an interpreter or advocate assisting a disabled person to communicate at an interview. There are no plans at present to extend the support available from the programme to cover the costs of travelling to an interview.
	The Jobcentre Plus Fares to Interview scheme is available to help disabled people with other costs associated with job interviews including reimbursement of travel expenses, subsistence allowance for longer periods away from home and compensation for loss of earnings.
	The Access to Work programme can fund the additional costs of support required to allow a disabled person to take part in a work trial arranged by Jobcentre Plus. Access to Work support is only available to people in paid employment and so does not support work placements or internships where the individual works on a voluntary basis or receives benefits or training allowances.

Bereavement Benefits

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for the future of bereavement benefits; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: As is the case for all benefits, bereavement benefits are kept under constant review. Any potential change to bereavement benefits in the future would be considered within the context of wider welfare reform and our commitment to create and deliver a 21(st) century welfare system.

Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission: Correspondence

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consideration the Child Support Agency has given to using double-sided printing for its correspondence.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consideration the Child Support Agency has given to using double-sided print for its correspondence.
	The vast majority of printed correspondence from the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission's IT systems is produced in bulk by our IT suppliers in their own print centres. Much smaller volumes of correspondence are created by caseworkers in local offices.
	Bulk printed correspondence is almost all printed single-sided. However, bilingual letters in English and Welsh are produced double-sided. The Child Support Agency is currently looking for money saving opportunities associated with printed correspondence, including greater use of duplex printing.
	The Commission's caseworkers are strongly encouraged to print all correspondence double-sided. We are currently deploying new printers into all local offices that will be set up to print double-sided by default. Installation of these new devices will be completed by April 2011.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Disability Living Allowance

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consultation he undertook with  (a) charities,  (b) third sector organisations and  (c) other disability organisations prior to his decision to remove the mobility component of disability living allowance for those who live in residential care homes.

Maria Miller: Local authority contracts with care homes should cover services to meet all a resident's assessed needs, including any assessed mobility needs, so an individual's care support and mobility needs should be met by residential care providers from social care funding. This measure will remove an overlap of public funds while ensuring that resources continue to be targeted at disabled people with the greatest needs.
	As part of the spending review all organisations are given the opportunity to contribute to the priorities of the spending review. Across Government, consultation on specific spending review measures was not undertaken. All measures are subject to the parliamentary process, and we are committed to the involvement of charities, third sector organisations and other disability organisations in the ongoing development of policy in these areas.

Employment: Disability

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what impact assessment his Department has undertaken of the  (a) duty to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010,  (b) disability equality duty under the Equality Act 2010 and  (c) implementation of Article 27 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; and what mechanisms are in place to ensure his Department's programmes to assist disabled people in employment are compliant with that legislation.

Maria Miller: The coalition agreement made clear this Government's commitment to equality for disabled people. We believe that disabled people should have the same opportunities as non-disabled people to fully participate in society.
	In general, the provisions in the Equality Act 2010 which require reasonable adjustments to be made for disabled people have been carried forward from the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. The Equality Act 2010 introduced a single threshold at which the duty to make reasonable adjustments arises and this change is dealt with in the impact assessment(1) and equality impact assessment(2) of the Equality Act. These assessments also assess the introduction of a new public sector duty, which will replace the existing disability equality duty in April 2011.
	The Government Equalities Office is currently consulting on the public sector equality duty. Details of the impact assessment and equality impact assessment are included in the published consultation document(3).
	The Government take their obligations under the United Nations convention on the rights of disabled people into account as they develop policies and programmes. The report that Government will make to the United Nations next year will demonstrate how across Departments we have taken forward implementation in respect of article 27 and the convention as a whole.
	The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) undertakes equality impact assessment on any new policies or changes to existing policies and practice. A well established process helps policy makers develop equality impact assessments based on a strong evidence base. This includes guidance on including information gathered from consultation and involvement with organisations.
	Currently, equality impact assessments are being developed for both Work Choice implementation and Access to Work and will appear on the DWP website in due course.
	(1)( )http://www.equalities.gov.uk/pdf/Equality%20Act%20Impact.pdf
	(2)( )http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/other/97801085 08714/9780108508714.pdf
	(3) Equality Act 2010: The public sector Equality Duty: Promoting equality through transparency:
	http://www.equalities.gov.uk/pdf/402461_GEO_EqualityAct2010ThePublicSectorEqualityDuty_acc.pdf

Housing Benefit

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of housing benefit claimants in  (a) Scotland and  (b) the UK received housing benefit payments of over £20,000 in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: Information on annual awards for each housing benefit recipient is not available. At July 2010, our records show that:
	 (a) In Scotland, there were 840 households receiving housing benefit over £384.62 per week;
	 (b) In Great Britain, there were 11,230 households receiving housing benefit over £384.62 per week.
	 Note:
	All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 recipients.
	 Source:
	Single Housing Benefit Extract for July 2010

Housing Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the proportion of local housing allowance claimants in  (a) single rooms,  (b) one bedroom properties,  (c) two bedroom properties,  (d) three bedroom properties and  (e) four bedroom properties and above whose monthly allowance does not cover the cost of their rental payments;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the average shortfall in cases where local housing allowance does not cover the full rent payable in each region in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the average difference between local housing allowance claimed and rent payable by persons whose allowance does not cover the cost of their rental payments in  (a) all properties and  (b) properties with (i) a single room, (ii) one bedroom, (iii) two bedrooms, (iv) three bedrooms and (v) four bedrooms or more in the latest period in which figures are available.

Steve Webb: In August 2009, 48% of those receiving housing benefit under the local housing allowance arrangements had a shortfall in their rent caused by the customer's contractual rent being higher than the appropriate local housing allowance rate.
	Work is under way to update this information and we aim to include this in the publication on a "two-year review of the local housing allowance" due out later this year.

Housing Benefit

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for the future of the discretionary housing payments budget; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: We are increasing the Government's contribution to local authorities' discretionary housing payments funds from £20 million to £30 million in 2011-12 and to £60 million a year thereafter. We are currently discussing the allocation of the funding with the local authority associations.

Housing Benefit

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment his Department has made of the merits of rent controls as a method of reducing expenditure on housing benefit.

Steve Webb: Policy on rent controls is a matter for the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. However, the Department for Work and Pensions has outlined a range of measures in the June 2010 Budget that are designed to exert a downward pressure on rents and will save around £2 billion per year by 2015-16.

Housing Benefit: Brighton and Lewes

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the likely change in the discretionary housing payment for  (a) Brighton and Hove City Council and  (b) Lewes District council in each year of the spending review period.

Steve Webb: We are reviewing the way in which we allocate the Department's contribution to local authorities' expenditure on discretionary housing payments. In the meantime, we cannot estimate the likely change in contributions to individual local authorities.

Housing Benefit: Down's Syndrome

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to make discretionary housing payments to  (a) people with Down's syndrome and  (b) their families to meet housing rental costs.

Steve Webb: Discretionary housing payments are intended to make up shortfalls in entitlement to benefit where the local authority considers that the person concerned is in need of further help with their housing costs.
	Decisions on who should receive these payments are entirely at the local authority's discretion, and It is for the authority to decide what should be awarded in any particular case and how long the award should last. We would expect local authorities to take into account the health and any special support needs of the household.

Housing Benefit: Shared Housing

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether benefit recipients sharing accommodation with unrelated non-benefit recipients will be able to access local housing allowance under his proposed reforms.

Steve Webb: Those who live in shared accommodation and who are liable for their rent on a commercial basis can continue to receive help from housing benefit, unless their landlord is a close relative who also lives in the property.

Housing Benefit: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many rooms in houses defined as shared for the purposes of the shared room rate of local housing allowance were available to rent in each broad rental market area in Wales in the latest period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: Information on the number of rooms available in shared accommodation in the private rented sector is not available.

Industrial Health and Safety

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the contribution of trade union safety representatives to the maintenance of health and safety standards in the workplace.

Chris Grayling: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) strategy document "The health and safety of Great Britain-Be part of the solution" recognises that involving employees has a positive effect on health and safety performance.
	Research indicates that the benefits of effective employee involvement in health and safety come about because it helps employers to manage health and safety in a practical way by:
	helping spot risks;
	making sure health and safety controls are practical; and
	increasing the level of commitment to working in a safe and healthy way.
	In organisations where it is not practical to consult individuals directly, having a health and safety representative is beneficial.
	Recent HSE analysis of previous survey data indicates that, whether the workplace is unionised or not, employee satisfaction with consultation arrangements has a positive impact on health and safety performance. It also shows that unionised workplaces generally have higher levels of satisfaction with consultation on health and safety matters.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will estimate the number of people in receipt of support for mortgage interest who have mortgages with interest rates higher than 3.63% if he will estimate the proportion of such people who have mortgages with interest rates higher than 3.63% due to having  (a) low income and  (b) poor credit history;
	(2)  how many people were in receipt of support for mortgage interest payments; and how many such people were also receiving  (a) pension credit,  (b) jobseeker's allowance and  (c) income support on the latest date for which figures are available;
	(3)  with reference to his Department's Equality Impact Assessment: Support for Mortgage Interest; page 6, paragraph 1, what the evidential basis is for the estimate that just over half of all support for mortgage interest customers will continue to have their eligible mortgage interest outgoings fully met by their benefit awards;
	(4)  with reference to his Department's Equality Impact Assessment: Support for Mortgage Interest; page 7, paragraph 4, if he will give numerical estimates for the references to  (a) lion's share and  (b) a relatively small level of arrears.

Steve Webb: The latest available figures on the number of people claiming support for mortgage interest through income-based jobseeker's allowance, income support and pension credit are from February 2010, and are given as follows.
	
		
			  Caseload (February 2010)  Number 
			 Jobseeker's allowance 34,000 
			 Income support 75,000 
			 Pension credit 117,000 
			 All 227,000 
			  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5% samples. 
		
	
	Support for mortgage interest is also payable through awards of income-based employment and support allowance, although the Department does not collect administrative data on how many of these customers would be receiving support for their eligible mortgage interest costs.
	The Department does not collect administrative data on the actual mortgage rates paid by support for mortgage interest customers, or data on the proportion of customers with interest rates higher than 3.63% due to having low income or poor credit history.
	In November 2009, we received a sample of data on almost 6,000 support for mortgage interest claimants (around 3% of the total caseload) from 16 different mortgage lenders, collected on our behalf by Council of Mortgage Lenders and HM Treasury. While the data are not a statistically robust sample and any results should be considered illustrative, and it is likely that the distribution of mortgage rates will have changed since the data were collected, they can provide a useful insight into the mortgages of support for mortgage interest customers.
	This sample indicates that around 115,000 of the current 227,000 support for mortgage interest customers would have mortgage interest rates higher than 3.63%.
	Using the same sample, we estimate that just over 50% of support for mortgage interest customers would have mortgage interest liabilities of lower than 3.67% (the April 2010 estimate of the average mortgage rate published by the Bank of England), and therefore continue to have their eligible mortgage interest outgoings fully met by their benefit awards.
	Numerical estimates on the proportion of eligible mortgage interest that we would be covered under a standard interest rate of 3.67% are given in table 3 of the equality impact assessment published on the departmental website.
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/support-for-mortgage-interest.pdf

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what cost-benefit analysis his Department has undertaken of the likely effects of the implementation of his proposals to lower the rate of interest used to calculate support for mortgage interest.

Steve Webb: The standard interest rate used to calculate support for mortgage interest was fixed at 6.08% by the last Administration. That rate was too generous and resulted in the vast majority of people getting more than their eligible mortgage interest liability, which was unfair to taxpayers.
	The Chancellor announced in the June 2010 Budget that the standard interest rate would be based on the Bank of England's published monthly average mortgage interest rate. Legislation to introduce this change came into effect from 1 October 2010 and the standard interest rate is currently 3.63%.
	The Department conducted thorough analysis on the likely impacts of this change, and we have included as much information as possible in the equality impact assessment published on the Department's website.
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/support-for-mortgage-interest.pdf

Pensioners: Housing Benefit

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many persons in receipt of housing benefit in each  (a) region and  (b) constituency are above retirement age.

Steve Webb: The information is not available at constituency level. A copy of the available information has been placed in the Library.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were in receipt of  (a) disability living allowance and  (b) incapacity benefit in Redcar constituency on the latest date for which figures are available.

Maria Miller: "Caseloads for selected benefits by Parliamentary Constituencies, February 2010" is available in the House of Commons Library and includes figures for incapacity benefit and disability living allowance. The information is reproduced in the following table.
	
		
			  Recipients of disability living allowance and incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance as at February 2010, Redcar parliamentary constituency 
			   Number 
			 Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance (in payment) 4,600 
			 Disability living allowance (in payment) 6,560 
			  Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest ten; some additional disclosure control has also been applied. 2. For disability living allowance the totals show the number of people in receipt of the benefit and exclude people with an underlying entitlement but whose payment has been suspended, for example because they are in hospital. 3. A claimant can be in receipt of more than one of these benefits and will therefore be counted for each benefit they receive. 4. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment and support allowance from October 2008. 5. Figures for employment and support allowance are not included. 6. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010.  Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Livingston constituency receive  (a) disability living allowance,  (b) incapacity benefit and  (c) employment and support allowance.

Maria Miller: The information requested is in the following table:
	
		
			  Claimants of employment and support allowance, disability living allowance, incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance, Livingston constituency, as of February 2010 
			   Number 
			 Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance 4,910 
			 Disability living allowance (in payment) 7,870 
			 Employment and support allowance 920 
			  Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10; some additional disclosure control has also been applied. 2. For disability living allowance, the totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 3. A claimant can be in receipt of more than one of these benefits and will therefore be counted for each benefit they receive. 4. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment and support allowance (ESA) from October 2008. 5. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010.  Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has assessed the merits of drafting a single form for the application of all medical condition-related benefits.

Maria Miller: The policy rationale, entitlement conditions and information required for each benefit is different and to cover them all in one form would increase complexity and be unhelpful for the recipient.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Dartford constituency receive  (a) incapacity benefit and  (b) employment and support allowance.

Maria Miller: At February 2010 there were 2,380 people receiving incapacity benefits, and 660 people receiving employment and support allowance in Dartford constituency.
	 Notes:
	1. The incapacity benefits figure includes incapacity benefit, income support paid on the grounds of incapacity, and severe disablement allowance.
	2. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance (ESA) from October 2008.
	3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, some additional disclosure has been applied.
	4. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010.
	5. These data are published at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/stats_summary/benefit_new_parlc_table_feb10.xls

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2010,  Official Report, column 766W, on social security benefits: fraud, how many people were involved in the 550 warrant cases; and how many people were involved in more than one of those cases.

Chris Grayling: The Department seeks an arrest warrant in all circumstances in which a defendant fails to attend a hearing or trial without an explanation acceptable to the court.
	The 550 warrants refer to 550 individual defendants.
	Of the 550 defendants, none have more than one warrant outstanding for benefit fraud offences.

Statutory Sick Pay

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to extend entitlement to statutory sick pay to employees who are on a phased return to work.

Chris Grayling: There are no plans to extend entitlement to statutory sick pay to employees who are on a phased return to work.
	Statutory sick pay is payable to employees who are unable to work under the terms of their contract. It is not payable for days when an employee does any work under this contract. An employee, who is undertaking a phased return to work, may nonetheless receive statutory sick pay for days that they do not work, provided the qualifying conditions are met.

Unemployment

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what occasions since his appointment his Department has released to the media figures from each source on the number of people who have never been in employment.

Chris Grayling: The Department is routinely asked by the media for figures regarding employment, unemployment and economic inactivity and endeavour to provide as much information as possible. We use a variety of sources including:
	The DWP national benefits database
	Nomis Web:
	www.nomisweb.co.uk
	Family Resource Survey
	DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Work Programme

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that prisoners and ex-offenders are supported into employment through the Work Programme; and whether this objective will be included in contracts with prime contractors.

Chris Grayling: The Work Programme will provide more personalised back to work support for long-term unemployed individuals, and for those with more significant barriers to employment. We are currently working through the full implications of the spending review for the Work Programme and further announcements, including about support for ex-offenders, will be made in due course.
	DWP is also working closely with the Ministry of Justice in developing options for improving cross-departmental co-operation to increase employment and reduce re-offending for individuals leaving prison and those serving community sentences.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Anti-Semitism

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what  (a) research and  (b) programmes he plans to commission for the purposes of tackling anti-Semitism; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: The cross-Government working group to tackle anti-Semitism is currently preparing to publish a three-year on response to the recommendations made by the All Party Inquiry into Anti-Semitism. Once this report has been published we will reassess what still needs to be done and commission research and develop a programme of action accordingly.

Departmental Early Retirement

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff of  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have been offered enhanced early retirement packages in each of the last three years.

Bob Neill: The numbers of staff who left DCLG and its agencies with enhanced early retirement packages in each of the last three years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   DCLG  Agencies 
			 2007-08 43 <5 
			 2008-09 11 9 
			 2009-10 27 <5 
		
	
	The data for the agencies, Planning Inspectorate, QEII Conference Centre, and the Fire Service College, have been combined owing to the very small numbers involved.

European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company: Contracts

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the oral evidence taken by the Communities and Local Government Committee on 13 September 2010, HC 453-i, Q109, what progress has been made in rectification of failures in the mapping data and directions provided by EADS to the fire service under contract.

Bob Neill: holding answer 2 November 2010
	A significant number of issues still remain with the mapping and routing products provided by EADS under the FiReControl contract.
	The Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) using the interim version of the software supplied by EADS for on-board computers in fire appliances are still waiting for updated mapping data formatted for these devices. EADS has now supplied the Department for Communities and Local Government with a further draft plan which would allow roll-out to start early in the new year.
	My officials received an updated proposal from EADS regarding the solution for routing fire appliances to incidents. Many of the problems highlighted by the Secretary of State would not be satisfactorily resolved under this proposal, including, for example, reliable and consistent use of the dimensions of the fire appliance in setting a suitable route and easy adjustment of the recommended route if the crew on board find an unexpected blockage.
	The issue with the gazetteer information showing West Yorkshire addresses as located in Wakefield appears to have been resolved by an EADS software maintenance release. However there is now a significant problem with this product in the way it handles FRS changes.

Fire Services: Emergency Calls

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to improve fire service emergency response times; and whether he plans to bring forward proposals for new national standards for fire service response times.

Bob Neill: The onus is on individual fire and rescue authorities to consider strategies to mitigate the effect of increased levels of traffic, which research has shown to be the main factor accounting for increased response times. That will include liaising with partners such as local authorities and the Highways Agency, and applying locally appropriate measures such as green wave traffic light systems, GPS and improved local knowledge of fire crews, and use of secondary fire vehicles and reduced response to low risk incidents.
	Response target-setting is a matter for individual fire and rescue authorities under Integrated Risk Management Planning (IRMP), according to local requirements and circumstances, and is not something that central government should direct or determine. The government has no plans to reintroduce national standards for fire and rescue service response times. Decisions made by local politicians and practitioners according to local circumstances will be more effective than blanket requirements across the country.
	However, if the service chose to place consistent standards upon itself, then equally that is not something that central Government would seek to intervene in.

Fire Services: Emergency Calls

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average fire service emergency response times were for each fire service in the latest period for which figures are available.

Bob Neill: Average response times for fires in buildings for each fire and rescue service are shown in the table for the latest period for which fire and rescue incident data are available.
	
		
			  Average response times( 1)  by fire and rescue services, England( 2) , April 2009 to March 2010 
			   Dwelling fires( 3)  Other building fires 
			 Avon 7.5 8.1 
			 Bedfordshire 7.6 8.0 
			 Berkshire 7.5 8.3 
			 Buckinghamshire(2) - - 
			 Cambridgeshire 9.1 9.5 
			 Cheshire 8.4 8.9 
			 Cleveland 5.6 6.1 
			 Cornwall 11.0 10.2 
			 Cumbria 8.6 8.8 
			 Derbyshire 7.5 8.2 
			 Devon and Somerset 9.3 9.1 
			 Dorset 8.4 9.5 
			 Durham 8.0 7.8 
			 East Sussex 7.1 7.4 
			 Essex 8.1 9.0 
			 Gloucestershire 9.5 9.0 
			 Greater London 6.2 6.2 
			 Greater Manchester(2) - - 
			 Hampshire 7.2 7.3 
			 Hereford and Worcester 8.9 9.5 
			 Hertfordshire 7.7 7.4 
			 Humberside 7.0 7.9 
			 Isle of Wight 9.0 7.1 
			 Isles of Scilly - 9.0 
			 Kent 6.9 7.9 
			 Lancashire 6.8 7.3 
			 Leicestershire 7.9 8.6 
			 Lincolnshire 9.1 9.4 
			 Merseyside 5.6 5.7 
			 Norfolk 8.9 8.7 
			 North Yorkshire 8.9 9.8 
			 Northamptonshire 8.2 8.6 
			 Northumberland 9.4 9.7 
			 Nottinghamshire 6.6 7.0 
			 Oxfordshire 9.5 9.0 
			 Shropshire 8.8 9.4 
			 South Yorkshire 7.4 7.7 
			 Staffordshire 8.2 8.6 
			 Suffolk 8.9 10.1 
			 Surrey 8.5 8.5 
			 Tyne and Wear 5.3 5.5 
			 Warwickshire 9.0 7.7 
			 West Midlands 6.6 6.8 
			 West Sussex 8.7 9.6 
			 West Yorkshire 6.8 6.9 
			 Wiltshire 9.3 10.3 
			
			 England(1) 7.3 7.9 
			 (1) As per previous figures, excludes fires where (i) there was heat and smoke damage only, (ii) the call was made after the fire was known extinguished, (iii) where the response time calculated gives an hour or more. (2) Excludes Greater Manchester and Buckinghamshire as data provided were incomplete. (3) In order to be consistent with data source prior to April 2009, chimney fires not included in calculation.

Fire Services: Redundancy

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has made an assessment of the number of fire service jobs that would be lost as a result of the implementation of the proposals contained within the comprehensive spending review.

Bob Neill: As fire service jobs are a local matter, determined by individual fire and rescue authorities, no formal assessment has been undertaken by the Department for Communities and Local Government. I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland (Tom Blenkinsop) on 25 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 88-89W.

Local Development Frameworks: Greater London

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he plans to take to enable London councils to revise their local development frameworks.

Bob Neill: All local planning authorities have a duty to keep their development plans under review and have the power to revise them when they feel this is appropriate and beneficial for their area, taking account of local circumstances.

Public Expenditure

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has established processes to monitor any effects of proposed reductions in its expenditure.

Bob Neill: The Department is following guidance issued by the Government Equalities Office on publishing its Equality Impact Assessments as part of the spending review. The results of the assessments will be published in due course.
	The Chancellor announced as part of the spending review in October that each Government Department will publish a business plan setting out the details of its reform plans. As required, the DCLG business plan will include key indicators against which we will publish data to show the cost and impact of departmental activities. The indicators will be published for consultation to ensure that we have the most relevant and robust indicators in time for the beginning of the spending review period in April 2011.

Regeneration: Newcastle upon Tyne

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions his Department has had with Newcastle city council on the refurbishment of the Byker estate; and what consideration he has given to the recommendations of the report by Professor Peter Roberts.

Andrew Stunell: My Department together with the Homes and Communities Agency has held a number of recent meetings with representatives from Newcastle city council, its ALMO Your Homes Newcastle, and the Byker Steering Group. The aim of the meetings is to deliver, as Professor Peter Roberts's report recommends, a sustainable long term future for the Byker estate. The primary focus of the discussions is to ensure that the proposed scheme is both deliverable and achieves value for money for Government.

Social Rented Housing

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of new social housing tenants are in employment.

Andrew Stunell: Information on the number of households receiving social housing is collected through the continuous recording of lettings form (CORE). Historically CORE has only collected information from registered social landlords, though a number of local authorities are now also providing information through this process.
	In 2008-09, 26% of new social housing tenants were in employment.
	This figure relates to the main householder and is based on the total number of new tenants in LA/RSL general needs and supported housing in full-time or part-time work expressed as a proportion of the total who provided their economic status.
	Further information on social lettings is published in the live tables at the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/rentslettings/livetables/

Social Rented Housing

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the average income of households in social housing in each region in the latest period for which figures are available.

Andrew Stunell: holding answer 4 November 2010
	The following table shows the most recent estimates of median and mean net (disposable) household income for social renters.
	Disposable income is gross income less income tax, national insurance contributions, local government taxes and certain other deductions. The estimates have also been "equivalised" for household size and composition.
	
		
			  Income of households by region for the social rented sector, 2006-07 to 2008-09 
			  £ per week, 2008-09 prices 
			  Region  Median  Mean 
			 North East 280 303 
			 North West 289 307 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 286 305 
			 East Midlands 276 295 
			 West Midlands 287 307 
			 East of England 295 313 
			 London 308 304 
			 South East 308 291 
			 South West 297 296 
			 England 293 316 
			  Notes: 1. The original source for these estimates is the Family Resources Survey. The income measures used to derive the estimates employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication 'Households Below Average Income' (HBAI) series, which uses disposable household income, adjusted (or "equivalised") for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 2. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. Three sample years have been combined as regional single year estimates are subject to volatility. 4. The figures are based on OECD equivalisation factors. 5. Median household incomes are more commonly used in analysis as these are less affected by outliers. 6. Incomes are presented in 2008-09 prices and have been rounded to the nearest pound sterling.

Social Rented Housing: Eltham

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes in Eltham constituency identified as eligible for improvements under the Decent Homes programme have not yet had such improvements made; and if he will take steps to ensure that funding for such improvements is made available to the London borough of Greenwich.

Andrew Stunell: The available data apply to the London borough of Greenwich and there is no breakdown by constituency. At April 2010, 4,947 council homes in the London borough of Greenwich did not meet the decent homes standard. This is forecast to fall to 392 by April 2011.
	In the spending review, the Government announced that they will spend £1.6 billion on tackling non-decent council housing. My Department and the Homes and Communities Agency will be consulting local authorities on the process for allocating capital funding shortly.

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to implement obligations under Articles 9, 11 and 19 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in relation to his Department's policy responsibilities.

Grant Shapps: The Department for Communities and Local Government is committed to the UN convention on rights of persons with disabilities and to improving outcomes for disabled people. The Department is currently further considering its responsibilities against the expectations of the convention, and the UK report to the UN next year will describe how implementation is being achieved.
	A number of measures exist or are being taken forward by DCLG which support various convention articles, for example:
	Part M (Access to and use of buildings) of the Building Regulations sets out a series of requirements to ensure that reasonable provision is made to meet the needs of disabled people where building work is undertaken in both commercial and residential buildings. In order to support delivery of more accessible and adaptable housing the Lifetime Home Standard will remain an important element of the Code for Sustainable Homes.
	The allocation legislation provides that people who need to move house on medical and welfare grounds, including grounds relating to a disability, must be given 'reasonable preference' (i.e. priority) for social housing.
	Home Ownership for people with Long-term Disabilities (HOLD) is a shared ownership scheme, to help those whose needs are not met elsewhere.
	The Disabled Facilities Grant provides the funding to help disabled and older people to make adaptations so they can carry on living in their own homes.
	The spending review 2010 announced that the reform of the council housing finance system will build in the resources needed to carry out future disabled housing adaptations required in the council housing stock.

TREASURY

Child Benefit

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of households in  (a) Liverpool, West Derby constituency,  (b) Liverpool and  (c) the UK to be affected by his proposed changes to the administration of child benefit.

David Gauke: Information on household income for child benefit claimants is not available at parliamentary constituency or city level.

Child Benefit: Durham

Pat Glass: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of households in North West Durham constituency which will be affected by the proposed withdrawal of child benefit from families with a higher rate taxpayer.

David Gauke: Information on household income for child benefit claimants is not available at parliamentary constituency level.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has established processes to monitor any effects of proposed reductions in its expenditure.

Justine Greening: "Spending Review 2010" (Cm 7942) sets out details of the spending settlement for HM Treasury which will achieve overall resource savings of 33% in real terms by 2014-15. In line with all Departments, Treasury has published a business plan and will report publicly against the plan.

Directors: Fraud

Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what mechanism he has put in place to prevent individuals setting up new businesses when their previous business has collapsed because of fraudulent activity.

Edward Davey: I have been asked to reply.
	Our enforcement regime provides for the disqualification of directors of a limited company which has entered an insolvency procedure, if misconduct or reckless or fraudulent behaviour has been proved. A disqualification order prevents a person from acting in the management of a limited company for a period of between two and 15 years, depending on the seriousness of the misconduct. In 2009-10 more than five directors a day were disqualified. In addition, section 216 of the Insolvency Act 1986 places restrictions on the re-use of a company name by the same directors. Breach of the section is a criminal offence.
	If an individual wishes to set him or herself up in business in their own name (i.e. not under the guises of a limited company) then there are no restrictions in place, unless the individual is bankrupt or a debt relief order moratorium is in force.

National Insurance Contributions: New Businesses

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on extending National Insurance exemptions on new jobs to areas of the South East which have low levels of employment and high levels of social deprivation.

David Gauke: The regional employer national insurance contributions holiday for new businesses is targeted on countries and regions within the UK where reliance on public sector employment is highest. For practical reasons the Government have no plans to introduce national insurance contribution exemptions for smaller geographical units.

Official Cars: Expenditure

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on the Government Car Service since the Government took office.

Justine Greening: The Treasury spent £70,696 (including spending in fulfilment of pre existing contractual commitments) with the Government Car Service for all car services for both Ministers and officials between 12 May 2010 and 12 July 2010. In 2009-10, the Department spent £98,145 with the Government Car Service for both Ministers and officials in an average two month period.

Public Expenditure

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the scale is on the vertical axis on the graph on page 13 of the spending review 2010 document.

Justine Greening: holding answer 4 November 2010
	The vertical axis on chart 1.1 on page 13 of the spending review 2010 document starts at 33% of GDP and goes up to 49% of GDP. Each line on the vertical axis represents an additional 1% of GDP.

Public Expenditure: Scotland

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has had discussions with the Scottish Executive on the future of end-year flexibility.

Danny Alexander: In the context of the Respect agenda, Treasury Ministers meet with Ministers from the Scottish Government from time to time to discuss issues of common interest. The issue of EYF was discussed at the most recent Finance Ministers Quadrilateral in September.

Public Expenditure: Scotland

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Scottish Executive will retain access to end-year flexibility throughout the comprehensive spending review period.

Danny Alexander: The spending review announced that the EYF scheme is being abolished at the end of 2010-11, including all accumulated stocks, and replaced by a new system from 2011-12. In the context of developing the new system the Government recognises the special status of the Scottish Executive and the other devolved Administrations. Further detail will be set out later this financial year.

Public Sector: Females

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will undertake an assessment of the likely effects on women of anticipated reductions in the number of jobs in the public sector in the next four years; and if he will make a statement.

Danny Alexander: On 20 October 2010 the Treasury published an overview of the impact of the spending review on men and women, people from ethnic minorities and people with disabilities.
	It will be for individual employers to determine the exact work force implications of their settlements. It is the responsibility of Departments to ensure that equality issues are considered when assessing options for spending reductions.

Tax Allowances: Breweries

Therese Coffey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for future duty relief arrangements for small breweries.

Justine Greening: Breweries producing less than 60,000 hectolitres per annum continue to benefit from a reduced rate of duty under the small breweries relief that was introduced in 2002.
	Decisions about tax policy are a matter for the Chancellor as part of the Budget process.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Northumberland

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been  (a) made and  (b) breached in (i) Wansbeck constituency and (ii) Northumberland in the latest period for which figures are available.

James Brokenshire: Data collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice on the number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued and breached are collated at criminal justice system (CJS) area level, rather than constituency or county area level. Northumberland which includes Wansbeck is in the Northumbria CJS area.
	The latest figures cover the period to 31 December 2008, and show that for the Northumbria CJS area 37 ASBOs were issued and 29 were proved in court to have been breached for the first time in 2008.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders were  (a) made and  (b) breached in the Criminal Justice System area covering the Peterborough city council area in each year since 2005; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: Data collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice on the number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued and breached are collated at Criminal Justice System (CJS) area level.
	The latest figures cover the period to 31 December 2008, and show that for the Cambridgeshire CJS area, which includes Peterborough city council area:
	in 2005, 50 ASBOs were issued, and 13 were proved in court to have been breached for the first time;
	in 2006, 31 ASBOs were issued, and 14 were proved in court to have been breached for the first time;
	in 2007, 20 ASBOs were issued, and 13 were proved in court to have been breached for the first time; and
	in 2008, 34 ASBOs were issued, and 13 were proved in court to have been breached for the first time.

Antisocial Behaviour: Crime Prevention

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of Mosquito devices in reducing antisocial behaviour.

James Brokenshire: The Mosquito device is a commercial product and is not endorsed by the Home Office or the Association of Chief Police Officers.
	This Government believe that it is for local agencies dealing with antisocial behaviour to decide whether or not to use the Mosquito device in their area and to undertake any appropriate assessments. The Home Office has not undertaken its own assessment.

Crime: Summertime

Rebecca Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the potential effects on the incidence of crime of adopting daylight saving time.

James Brokenshire: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has not made any assessment of the potential effects of adopting daylight saving time on the incidence of crime.

Entry Clearances: Taiwan

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will bring forward proposals for a Working Holiday Scheme with Taiwan to increase cultural understanding between the UK and Taiwan; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: We operate a Youth Mobility Scheme for the purpose of cultural exchanges between young people. To qualify, a country needs to meet certain eligibility criteria. It is open to any country which believes it meets the criteria for acceptance on the scheme to enter into discussions with us about reciprocal arrangements.
	The eligibility criteria relate to:
	(a) a low level of immigration risk and not being a country subject to a mandatory UK visa regime;
	(b) satisfactory returns arrangements; and
	(c) reciprocal opportunities for UK nationals.

Illegal Immigrants: East Ayrshire

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal immigrants to the UK have  (a) been identified in and  (b) deported from Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency in the latest period for which figures are available.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency is unable to specify where an individual was encountered when they were served papers as an illegal immigrant. It is only possible to report on their last known address and their current immigration status.
	Between 1 October 2009 and 30 September 2010, 10 individuals were identified as illegal immigrants residing in the Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency. During this period, nine illegal immigrants resident in Kilmarnock and Loudoun were removed from the United Kingdom.
	All figures quoted are internal management information only and are subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.

Immigration Controls: English Language

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when her Department notified accreditation boards of proposals to change English for Speakers of Other Languages requirements for  (a) indefinite leave to remain and  (b) application for regularisations and nationalisation as British citizens;
	(2)  which  (a) accreditation boards and  (b) other organisations she consulted on the English for Speakers of Other Languages requirements for (i) indefinite leave to remain and (ii) application for regularisations and nationalisation as British citizens prior to laying the statement of Changes in Immigration Rules before the House on 18 March 2010.

Damian Green: There was not a formal consultation on the changes introduced by the previous Government. The accreditation bodies were sent copies of the revised guidance on 13 April and the UK Border Agency continues to work with them to ensure the policy is implemented.

Intercept Modernisation Programme

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements she plans to make to safeguard the privacy of individuals under the continued intercept modernisation programme.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 1 November 2010
	Access to communications data is primarily regulated by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA), which places strict rules on when, and by whom, the data can be accessed. The use of communications data is also regulated by the Data Protection Act and the Human Rights Act. Data are disclosed only on a case-by-case basis to designated public authorities under strict safeguards which require that the disclosure is necessary and proportionate to the lawful purpose of an investigation. We will legislate to ensure that the programme accords with the Government's approach to civil liberties.

Intercept Modernisation Programme

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to provide that data stored by service providers under the intercept modernisation programme will be accessible only on presentation of a warrant; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 1 November 2010
	As made clear in the strategic defence and security review, the Government will continue to build on an existing programme of work to preserve the ability of the law enforcement, security and intelligence agencies to obtain communications data and to intercept communications within the appropriate legal framework. We will legislate to ensure this is compatible with the Government's approach to civil liberties and use of communications capabilities. Details of this legislation will be announced in Parliament in due course.

Khat

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether her Department is considering the classification of khat under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent discussions she has had with the Association of Chief Police Officers on the implications for public order of the use of khat.

James Brokenshire: In line with the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs' (ACMD) statutory duty under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, I have written to the ACMD asking for it to review the available evidence relating to the harms of khat and provide advice, in relation to both control, under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, and a wider response.
	I have had a number of meetings and discussions with representatives of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). These discussions have not, to date, covered the issue of khat.

Proceeds of Crime

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to increase the proportion of criminal assets which are recovered.

James Brokenshire: The Government are committed to improving overall performance on recovering assets from criminals. We are already encouraging the full and efficient use of the existing powers, in particular under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, and will provide more detail of our plans to further disrupt criminal finances in due course.

Proceeds of Crime

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who is responsible for meeting expenses incurred through operations to recover money under the provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

James Brokenshire: Law enforcement agencies meet costs of recovering criminal assets from within their budgets. However they also receive a share of the money they recover under the Proceeds of Crime Act as part of the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme.
	Receivers who manage and realise assets to satisfy orders made under the Proceeds of Crime Act meet their remuneration and expenses from the assets that they manage and sell.
	The Home Office also directly funds nine multi-agency Regional Asset Recovery Teams at a cost of £10.5 million per annum, which assist agencies to recover money under the provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Proceeds of Crime

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on average what proportion of the money recovered through the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 which was allocated to the police force that carried out the recovery in the latest period for which figures are available.

James Brokenshire: Under the current Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme 50% of all money recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act is returned to front-line partners. How these funds are distributed will depend on the relevant part of the Act that is used.
	For confiscation orders, the relevant police force receives 18.75% of money recovered with 18.75% being returned to the relevant prosecutor and 12.5% being returned to Her Majesty's Courts Service.
	For money recovered through the cash forfeiture route, the relevant police force receives the full 50% of the total collected.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultation she undertook prior to the announcement on the continued use of the intercept modernisation programme as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 1 November 2010
	As made clear in the strategic defence and security review, the Government will continue to build on an existing programme of work to preserve the ability of the law enforcement, security and intelligence agencies to obtain communications data and to intercept communications within the appropriate legal framework. We will legislate to ensure this is compatible with the Government's approach to civil liberties and use of communications capabilities. As part of this, the results of the 2009 consultation on Communication Data were reviewed, advice from the law enforcement agencies and the security and intelligence agencies were considered and discussions with the Information Commissioner's Office have been ongoing throughout this process.

UK Border Agency: Passports

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passports the UK Borders Agency declared lost through its own actions in 2009; and what the cost to the public purse was of replacing such documents.

Damian Green: Information relating to the number of passports the UK Border Agency (UKBA) declared lost through its own actions in 2009 and the cost of replacing such documents is not currently recorded centrally. UKBA is currently considering the most appropriate way in which to improve the system it uses currently to record such information and to minimise the loss of documents in general and passports in particular.

Vetting: Complaints

Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  on how many occasions a dispute against the outcome of  (a) a standard and  (b) an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check was upheld in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  on how many occasions the outcome of  (a) a standard and  (b) an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check was disputed by the subject of the check in the latest period for which figures are available;

Lynne Featherstone: The following tables detail a breakdown of how many times disputes against the outcomes of a Standard and Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) were upheld since March 2010 to August 2010 (Table A) and how many times the outcomes of standard and enhanced checks were disputed by the subject of the check from 2009-10 to present (Table B).
	An upheld dispute does not mean an individual has been incorrectly associated with a criminal record. The outcome of an upheld dispute can involve the amendment of a single word such as an individual's name.
	
		
			  T able  A-Upheld disputes 
			  Certificate type  March 2010  April 2010  May 2010  June 2010  July 2010  August 2010  Total 
			 Enhanced 205 164 135 158 189 108 959 
			 Standard 20 30 27 13 15 8 113 
			 Total 225 194 162 171 204 116 113 
		
	
	
		
			  T able  B-Dispute applications 
			  Certificate type  2009-10  2010-11  Total 
			 Enhanced 5,641 2,797 8,438 
			 Standard 1,386 523 1,909 
			 Total 7,027 3,320 10,347

Vetting: Standards

Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) standard and  (b) enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checks took longer than the respective guideline times in the latest period for which figures are available.

Lynne Featherstone: The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) published service standards (PSS) are that 90% of enhanced CRB checks are issued within 28 days. The CRB received 326,401 in the month of September 2010. Of these 238,402 (87% against the 90% PSS) were processed within the PSS and 88,359 were issued outside the PSS by one day or more.
	The length of time a CRB check can take to process can include "time out with customer". This occurs when the CRB has to contact the registered body (RB) for additional information about the applicant, when the application form has not been completed correctly or where the police require additional clarification about the applicant's identity. The CRB cannot continue to process the application until the RB provides this information; or the applicant resolves any question of identity to the satisfaction of the police force.
	There are a number of other factors that can affect the timely completion of CRB checks, including but not restricted to the length of time it can take for an employer to deal with the initial application; the accurate completion of the application form; the clarity of the information provided; the existence of conviction or non-conviction information; any ongoing or outstanding criminal investigations or proceedings; where more than one force holds relevant information and the operational effectiveness of the disclosure units of the police forces involved in the CRB checking process.
	The CRB have been working with police forces through joint operational performance reviews, to address the problems associated with delays and the impact that exceptional demand for CRB checks can have on police forces. The CRB has set up improvement plans with those forces that have been having problems meeting the demand for certificates. This is aimed at maintaining a steady output of applications on the system while also reducing the number of outstanding cases that have been with police forces for more than 25 days.

HEALTH

Blood: Contamination

Phillip Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 1 November 2010,  Official Report, column 630W, on blood: contamination, 
	(1)  for what reasons his Department answered the 13 requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in part; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the responses his Department gave to those who submitted the requests;
	(2)  for what reasons his Department rejected or withheld information in response to each of the eight requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the responses his Department gave to those who submitted the requests.

Anne Milton: The Department will place a copy of each of the responses in the Library to the requests in which it either answered in part or withheld information. All enclosures accompanying the requests as answered in part will be placed on the Department's website at the following address:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/FreedomOfInformation/Freedomofinformationpublicationschemefeedback/FOIreleases/index.htm
	Of the 12 requests(1) made under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000 answered in part, information was withheld as exempt under the provisions of the FOIA from disclosure as follows(2):
	four instances withheld as exempt from disclosure under Section 12;
	two instances withheld as exempt from disclosure under Section 21;
	one instance withheld as exempt from disclosure under Section 22;
	one instance withheld as exempt from disclosure under Section 28;
	one instance withheld as exempt from disclosure under Section 32;
	one instance withheld as exempt from disclosure under Section 34;
	one instance withheld as exempt from disclosure under Section 35;
	one instance withheld as exempt from disclosure under Section 36;
	seven instances withheld as exempt from disclosure under Section 40; and
	one instance withheld as exempt from disclosure under Section 42.
	Of the eight requests made under FOIA rejected or withheld, information was withheld as exempt under the provisions of the FOIA from disclosure as follows:
	six instances withheld as exempt from disclosure under Section 12;
	one instance withheld as exempt from disclosure under Section 22; and
	one instance withheld as exempt from disclosure under Section 36.
	Since 2007, over 5,500 documents relating to contaminated blood and blood products have been placed on the Department's website. Only five have been withheld because they contain personal information. If further documents from this period are identified, they will similarly be published.
	(1) Pursuant to my previous answer, 1 November 2010,  Official Report, column 630W, a further examination of the information held by the Department has identified that one request previously identified as being "answered in part" does not relate to the contamination of blood products during the 1970s and 1980s.
	(2) In some instances more than one exemption applied to the requested information.

CJD: Drugs

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department provides to health authorities on the use of pentosan polysulfate for the treatment of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The Department has issued no guidance on the use of pentosan polysulphate to treat variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). Pentosan polysulphate is not licensed for the treatment of vCJD, therefore its use for this purpose is a clinical decision.

CJD: Drugs

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the  (a) number of doses prescribed and  (b) cost to the public purse of provision of pentosan polysulfate in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: The information collected by the Department does not describe the use of medicines in terms of doses or indicate the medical condition being treated. The following table shows the number prescription items for pentosan polysulfate tablets, written in the United Kingdom or the Isle of Man and dispensed in the community, in England, together with the corresponding physical quantity of tablets, measured in milligrams, and net ingredient cost (NIC).
	
		
			   Items ( Thousand )  Tablets ( Thousand )  Milligrams ( Thousand )  NIC (£000) 
			 2005 0.3 45.4 4,247.6 63.0 
			 2006 0.3 39.5 3,748.4 70.3 
			 2007 0.2 31.6 2,968.9 72.0 
			 2008 0.3 36.4 3,643.9 84.8 
			 2009 0.3 34.8 3,476.8 155.2 
			  Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system. 
		
	
	Use of this drug in hospitals is limited and only the topical form appears in the data. Figures cannot be given under the agreement with the data suppliers.

Departmental Redundancy

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of redundancies arising from the spending reductions proposed in the comprehensive spending review in respect of  (a) his Department and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies.

Simon Burns: The Government have announced that administration costs will reduce by a third in real terms across the public sector, including the health sector, and this was reaffirmed in the spending review.
	This reduction in administration costs is expected to lead to some redundancies. However the number of redundancies will be closely affected by how the one-third reduction will be distributed across all organisations in the health sector, including primary care trusts, strategic health authorities, the Department and its arm's length bodies; and to what extent staff numbers and costs in all these bodies reduce through natural wastage or redeployments.
	Therefore we cannot know for certain at this stage what number of redundancies will arise in each organisation across the health sector.

Departmental Redundancy

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of staff redundancy in each of the next four years.

Simon Burns: The Government have announced that administration costs will reduce by a third in real terms across the public sector, including the health sector, and this was reaffirmed in the spending review.
	This reduction in administration costs is expected to lead to some redundancies. However the number of redundancies will be closely affected by how the one-third reduction will be distributed across all organisations in the health sector, including primary care trusts, strategic health authorities, the Department and its arm's length bodies; and to what extent staff numbers and costs in all these bodies reduce through natural wastage or redeployments.
	We intend to set out estimates of the cost of redundancies associated with the reduction in administration and management costs in an impact assessment.

Doctors: Career Development

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to  (a) attract and  (b) retain good quality junior doctors in the NHS during the spending review period.

Anne Milton: Management of recruitment to postgraduate medical training is co-ordinated nationally through the Medical Programme Board of Medical Education England in partnership with Royal Colleges, deaneries, lead employers, the United Kingdom Foundation Programme Office and the General Practice National Recruitment Office. These arrangements have proved successful with high fill rates high for most specialties. Medical training is highly competitive with large numbers of doctors competing for vacancies each year. Some trainees do leave training programmes for a variety of reasons, but there is no evidence that this is an increasing trend.
	For the longer term, the Department has committed to publishing a consultation on proposals for education and training, based on the principles in the White Paper.

Doctors: Career Development

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms will be put in place to ensure effective continuing training for doctors following the termination of primary care trusts.

Anne Milton: The Department has committed to publishing a consultation on proposals for education and training, based on the principles in the White Paper 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS'.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to allow naltrexone to be administered to prisoners for the purposes of treating substance abuse.

Paul Burstow: Naltrexone is formally permitted in all adult prisons for the treatment of adult prisoners. Guidance on its use was included in the clinical guidance issued by the Department in 2006: 'Clinical management of drug dependence in the adult prison setting including psychological treatment as a core part'. It is not licensed for treating young offenders.
	Naltrexone is also supported for use in the community. Clinical guidelines were issued jointly by the Department and the devolved Administrations in 2007: 'Drug Misuse and dependence: UK Guidelines on Clinical Management'.
	Copies of both guidelines have already been placed in the Library.

Health Services: Greater Manchester

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely effect on the number of NHS  (a) front-line staff and  (b) junior doctors working in Bolton, Bolton West and Greater Manchester areas of the outcomes of the comprehensive spending review.

Simon Burns: The Government have already signalled their commitment to real year-on-year increases in funding and the need to protect front-line services.
	Making highly skilled, professional staff redundant does not make the best use of limited national health service resources-nor does it benefit patients. Therefore, it should be considered only when all other options have been exhausted.
	It is local health care organisations, with their knowledge of the health care needs of their local populations, that are best placed to determine the work force required to deliver safe patient care within their available resources.

Khat

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the health effects of the use of khat.

Anne Milton: In March 2005 the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) was asked to assess the extent of the harm posed by khat use in the United Kingdom, to the individual, their communities and to society as a whole.
	The ACMD reported in January 2006.
	In October of this year, the Government asked the ACMD to undertake a comprehensive review of the available evidence, to update its assessment and provide the Government with advice.

Kidney Dialysis

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts provide kidney dialysis; and how many NHS patients have received dialysis treatment in the last 12 months.

Simon Burns: Information is not available in the format requested. Kidney dialysis is a specialised service which is commissioned by regional specialised commissioning groups on behalf of primary care trusts. Dialysis services are provided by 52 renal units in England and their satellites and may be provided at home for suitable patients. There is a list of the United Kingdom renal units on the Renal Association website at:
	www.renal.org/whatwedo/InformationResources/RenalUnits.aspx
	and the UK Renal Registry publishes an annual report which includes data on incidence and prevalence of people on dialysis. In December 2008, the latest date for which figures are available, 20,913 patients were receiving dialysis in England.

Mental Health Services: Prisons

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what services are available in prisons for the purposes of offering employment support to prisoners with mental health disorders; and what steps he plans to take to ensure the NHS Outcomes Framework encourages prison health services to support more ex-offenders into paid employment following their release from prison.

Crispin Blunt: I have been asked to reply.
	There is considerable employment support work undertaken to help prisoners across the NOMS estate. Much of this is undertaken in partnership with the Department for Business Innovation and Skills as well as the Department of Work and Pensions. This support applies to all prisoners and takes into account individual's circumstances-including mental health issues.
	NOMS is a co-financing organisation and can draw down European funding. The first round of this funding-which lasts until December 2011 has a target that 46% of participants should have a learning disability/difficulties and offenders with these issues will continue to be given prominence in delivery during round 2 (January 2011 to December 2014) although the target will be regional and not national. There is no specific mental health provision in round 1 for participants with mental health issues, although there may be specific support contained in delivery plans from providers in round 2.
	The Government will publish their response to the NHS Outcomes Framework consultation shortly. However, the primary purpose of the NHS Outcomes Framework will be to focus on health outcomes, delivered by the national health service through treatment and health care.

Neuromuscular Diseases: Health Services

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans he has for the delivery of specialist neuromuscular services under the proposed national commissioning board;
	(2)  what steps he plans to take to ensure that neuromuscular services improve during the period in which his proposals for the reform of the NHS are implemented;
	(3)  what plans he has for the future of the NHS regional specialised commissioning groups; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what guidelines his Department has issued to NHS regional specialised commissioning groups on investment in specialist neuromuscular services for the purposes of reducing the level of unplanned emergency admissions to hospital for people with neuromuscular conditions.

Paul Burstow: The White Paper sets out our future intentions for the commissioning of specialised services. It proposes that specialised services, including some for people with neuromuscular conditions, will in future be commissioned by the NHS Commissioning Board.
	The White Paper makes it clear that general practitioner (GP) consortia will work closely with secondary care, community partners and other health and care professionals to design joined-up services that are responsive to patients and the public. Commissioning by GP consortia will enable the redesign of care pathways to reflect the needs of their patients, which ultimately will lead to the more effective management of long-term neuromuscular conditions.
	The future plans for specialised commissioning groups are currently under consideration as part of the White Paper consultation. The consultation closed on 11 October and we are currently analysing the responses. We will respond to the consultation in due course.
	No guidelines have been issued to specialised commissioning groups for the purposes of reducing unplanned emergency admissions to hospital for people with neuromuscular conditions.

NHS: Redundancy

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make an estimate of the likely cost to the NHS of staff redundancy as a result of the spending reductions proposed in the comprehensive spending review.

Simon Burns: The Government have announced that administration costs will reduce by a third in real terms across the public sector, including the health sector, and this was reaffirmed in the spending review.
	This reduction in administration costs is expected to lead to some redundancies. However the number of redundancies will be closely affected by how the one-third reduction will be distributed across all organisations in the health sector, including primary care trusts, strategic health authorities, the Department and its arm's length bodies; and to what extent staff numbers and costs in all these bodies reduce through natural wastage or redeployments.
	We intend to set out estimates of the cost of redundancies associated with the reduction in administration and management costs in an impact assessment.

NHS: Voluntary Organisations

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role he expects voluntary sector organisations to play in the future of the NHS.

Paul Burstow: Voluntary organisations will continue to make a vital contribution to health and care, not only as the providers of services but also as advocates, partners in the co-design of services and involving and engaging local communities.
	Voluntary organisations have valuable expertise, insight and experience that can improve local public services, often for the most excluded people in our communities. The voluntary sector is well placed to support commissioners in developing needs assessments and commissioning guidelines.
	Current examples of voluntary sector involvement include Mumsnet who have been particularly valuable in helping to shape maternity services and Turning Point on the Connected Care Audit.
	The Department is exploring a range of options to ensure that we can maximise the potential contribution of the voluntary sector. We plan to ensure that commissioners and providers across health care, public health and social care are able to harness the potential role of voluntary sector organisations in communities-helping to build strong and resilient communities as part of the big society.
	Commissioning consortia will be able to decide which commissioning activities they undertake for themselves and where they will choose to buy in expertise and support from external organisations, including from voluntary sector organisations. Voluntary organisations could potentially strengthen the process of public and patient engagement and needs assessment through their knowledge and understanding of local people's needs.
	As part of the reforms, we aim to free up provision of health care, so that in most sectors of care, any willing provider can provide services that meet national health service standards within NHS prices, giving patients greater choice and ensuring effective competition stimulates innovation, improves quality and increases productivity. We will look across government and public procurement to make sure that charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises have maximum opportunities to offer health and care services.
	We are committed to promoting continuous improvement in the quality of services for patients and greater opportunities for the involvement of voluntary providers in offering more responsive and personalised services.
	We are aware that this period of transition will be worrying for voluntary organisations. We are keen, therefore, that primary care trusts (PCTs) engage with all of their stakeholders during this transition period. This includes working in close partnership with all organisations that they hold funding agreements with through both grant and contract arrangements, recognising the principles of the Compact.
	It is vitally important that we do not lose vital local services that achieve high quality outcomes and we will therefore work with PCT's in the transition to the new arrangements with the NHS Commissioning Board and general practitioner commissioning consortia, as they develop, to ensure that the sector's contribution to improved health, public health and social care is recognised.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made on the phasing out of prescription charges for patients with long-term conditions following the outcome of the comprehensive spending review; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave on 25 October 2010,  Official Report, column 126W, to the hon. Member for Hartlepool (Mr Wright).

Social Services: West Sussex

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will meet West Sussex county council's cabinet members for adults' services and future finance and resources to discuss the likely effects of demographic changes in West Sussex on  (a) the provision of and  (b) eligibility for adult social care in that area.

Paul Burstow: The spending review recognises the importance of social care in protecting most vulnerable in society. In recognition of the pressures on the social care system in a challenging local government settlement, the coalition Government have allocated an additional £2 billion by 2014-15 to support the delivery of social care. This means, with an ambitious programme of efficiency, that there is enough funding available both to protect people's access to services and deliver new approaches to improve quality and outcomes.
	We have achieved this by:
	the national health service transferring some funding from the health capital budget to health revenue, to be spent on measures that support social care, which also benefits health. This funding will rise to £1 billion in 2014-15, and will promote improved joint working between the health and social care systems. Further details will be set out in the NHS Operating Framework 2011-12; and
	additional grant funding, rising to £1 billion by 2014-15, will be made available for social care. This funding will be allocated in addition to the Department's existing social care grants, which will rise in line with inflation. Total grant funding from the Department for social care will reach £2.4 billion by 2014-15. In order to support local flexibility and to reduce administrative burdens, this funding will go to authorities through the revenue support grant.
	I recently attended the National Children and Adult Social Care Conference where I met with 11 members and directors of Adult Social Care to discuss the impact of the Government's decision to prioritise social care in the spending review.
	Pressures on my diary mean that I am unable to accept the request for a meeting, but if the hon. Member or representatives from West Sussex county council have any questions about the spending review settlement, I would welcome correspondence on this matter.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 595-6W, on apprentices, if he will publish the feedback provided by the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network since 2006; and what steps  (a) current Ministers,  (b) previous Ministers and  (c) the Skills Funding Agency and its predecessor organisations have taken as a result of advice from the Network.

John Hayes: The primary role of the Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network (AAN) is to promote greater employer engagement with apprenticeships. I welcome the contribution which the AAN gives to the apprenticeship programme, both as our eyes and ears in respect of the quality of apprenticeships and the delivery system; and as ambassadors to encourage others to offer apprenticeships.
	In this time of fiscal restraint, it is both important and powerful to have such blue chip businesses and business leaders championing apprenticeships to employers, and therefore the role of the AAN becomes increasingly important. The AAN has provided valuable advice and feedback to Ministers and others since its creation in 2006. Issues covered have included:
	the skills strategy and the contribution of apprenticeships;
	apprenticeship framework design, content and levels of qualification;
	careers advice and guidance;
	reducing bureaucracy;
	diversity;
	pay;
	role and function of the National Apprenticeship Service;
	online vacancy matching service; and
	progression to HE.
	This is achieved through Ministers attending AAN meetings at which employer engagement and policy issues are discussed, Ministers and senior officials speaking at events hosted by members, correspondence and meetings on specific issues and the AAN responding to BIS and other consultation exercises. The feedback of the AAN helps to ensure that the programme is fit for purpose, that numbers increase and quality continues to improve.
	The AAN has also commissioned work in two important areas to inform the policy debate; the net benefit to employer investment in apprenticeships (IER 2008) and a comparative international study of apprenticeships (CEP, 2010). These reports, alongside details of the AAN's work and membership, minutes of meetings, consultation responses, letters and speeches are all published on the AAN website: www.employersforapprentices.gov.uk. I am happy for this to include correspondence between myself and the AAN in the future.

CJD: Research

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what research projects into Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease the Medical Research Council has provided funding in each of the last three years; and what the outcomes of those projects were.

David Willetts: The Medical Research Council (MRC) has funded basic research into transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) since the late 1970s. The MRC continues to fund research across the spectrum from basic biological studies through to applied clinical research.
	In the last three years, MRC expenditure on TSE was as follows:
	2007/08: £6.8 million
	2008/09: £8.9 million
	2009/10 : £9.9 million.
	Much of this research is conducted by the MRC Prion Unit, an international centre of excellence focussing principally on human prion disease, as well as through other TSE researchers working in universities throughout the UK. As this research is still ongoing, it is too early to report on outcomes. MRC welcomes proposals in all areas of TSE research and particularly in the development of new diagnostic tests and therapeutics. In addition, MRC encourages TSE research that may also inform on the basic mechanisms of other neurodegenerative disorders.
	A list of the relevant research projects that have received MRC funding, between 2007/8 and 2009/10 is below. Further information on these projects, as well as other research supported by the MRC can be found at:
	http://www.mrc.ac.uk/ResearchPortfolio/index.htm
	
		
			  Reference  Principal investigator  Research organisation  Research project 
			 G0301136 Professor V H Perry University of Southampton Prion strains and behaviour 
			 G0501636 Dr V 0 Connor University of Southampton Molecular and cellular basis of synaptic dysfunction in the ME7 model of prion disease (TSE highlight) 
			 G0600953 Professor J Ironside University of Edinburgh The NCJDSU Tissue Resource: support for continued banking activities 
			 G0700640 Professor J Manson BBSRC Roslin Institute Assessing the risk of transmission of vCJD via blood transfusion and identifying potential for diagnosis and prevention 
			 G0700877 Dr S Tabrizi Institute of Neurology Cellular mechanisms of prion-mediated neurodegeneration 
			 G0701068 Mrs C F Farquhar University of Edinburgh Refining the clinical use of pentosan polysulphate for TSEs: animal models of intravenous infection and intervention 
			 G9824728 Professor N Hooper University of Leeds Amyloid precursor protein and prion protein: cellular functions, processing and roles in neurodegeneration 
			 G0802189 Professor N M Hooper University of Leeds Alzheimers and prion diseases: cellular and genetic mechanisms of neurodegeneration 
			 G0900580 Professor J Ironside University of Edinburgh The NCJDSU Tissue Resource: support for continued banking activities 
			 U105260794 Professor S M Bird MRC Biostatistics Unit Transmissible disease epidemiology and statistical science in public health, criminal justice and performance monitoring 
			 U122886350 Professor J Collinge MRC Clinical Trials Unit Communicable diseases - human prion disease and malaria 
			 U123160651 Dr S Mead MRC Prion Unit Human molecular genetics and bioinformatics 
			 U123160652 Dr S E Lloyd MRC Prion Unit Prion genetic modifiers in the mouse 
			 U123160653 Dr E A Asante MRC Prion Unit Transgenic modelling of human prion diseases, intermammalian transmission barriers and assessing candidate therapeutics 
			 U123160654 Professor G Mallucci MRC Prion Unit Normal cellular function of PrP: study of PrP null mice and conditional gene expression studies 
			 U123160655 Dr J Wadsworth MRC Prion Unit Molecular and phenotypic analysis of human prion strains 
			 U123160656 Professor A R Clarke MRC Prion Unit Structural studies of prion proteins and their ligand interactions 
			 U123160657 Professor M Alpers MRC Prion Unit Kuru Field Studies in Papua New Guinea 
			 U123170362 Dr G S Jackson MRC Prion Unit Molecular diagnostic strategies in prion disease 
			 U123182016 Dr P Klein MRC Prion Unit Cellular mechanisms of prion propagation 
			 U123192748 Professor J Collinge MRC Prion Unit Prion kinetics, toxicity and synthesis and its wider relevance 
			 U132692719 Professor G Mallucci MRC Toxicology Unit In vivo models of disease and toxicity in the nervous system

EU Grants and Loans

George Eustice: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on future arrangements for the administration of payments out of EU Structural Funds.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 9 November 2010
	 To date I have not had any direct discussions with my EU counterparts on future arrangements for the administration of payments out of EU structural funds. In England, the Department for Work and Pensions has operational responsibility for the European social fund and the Department for Communities and Local Government has operational responsibility for the European regional development fund.

Higher Education: Admissions

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many  (a) applicants and  (b) successful applicants from each socio-economic group there were for places on undergraduate degree courses to study (i) medicine, (ii) accounting, (iii) law, (iv) veterinary medicine, (v) engineering and (vi) dentistry at universities in England in each year since 2001.

David Willetts: The latest information, which has been provided by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), is given in the table. The National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC) was introduced in 2002. UCAS have not released NS-SEC data for 2009 entry. Final figures for 2010 entry will be available in January 2011.
	
		
			  UK domiciled applicants and accepted applicants to institutions in England by subject and National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification (NS-SEC), years of entry 2002 to 2008 
			2002  2003  2004  2005 
			  Subject  NS-SEC  Applicants  Accepted a pplicants  Applicants  Accepted a pplicants  Applicants  Accepted a pplicants  Applicants  Accepted a pplicants 
			 A1-Pre-clinical medicine 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 3,486 2,093 4,107 2,198 4,710 2,266 4,788 2,067 
			  2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 2,347 1,219 3,057 1,403 3,647 1,471 3,769 1,353 
			  3. Intermediate occupations 924 513 1,123 534 1,388 554 1,432 533 
			  4. Small employers and own account workers 374 166 447 220 552 205 569 211 
			  5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 160 79 246 102 316 108 267 89 
			  6. Semi-routine occupations 619 269 727 303 1,049 386 1,192 363 
			  7. Routine occupations 225 97 260 107 301 86 295 84 
			  Unknown 1,302 561 2,091 747 2,414 679 3,547 996 
			   
			 A2-Pre-clinical dentistry 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 467 215 485 205 544 215 646 251 
			  2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 395 177 432 167 483 173 525 192 
			  3. Intermediate occupations 170 59 183 69 196 69 261 99 
			  4. Small employers and own account workers 104 35 124 39 137 35 138 48 
			  5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 51 18 55 20 59 14 65 16 
			  6. Semi-routine occupations 123 56 150 54 186 51 222 72 
			  7. Routine occupations 54 20 39 7 71 24 68 12 
			  Unknown 209 60 274 79 337 73 572 147 
			   
			 D1-Pre-clinical veterinary medicine 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 520 203 506 205 423 219 343 193 
			  2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 430 149 410 159 375 162 322 155 
			  3. Intermediate occupations 179 42 159 55 160 73 119 60 
			  4. Small employers and own account workers 114 30 103 41 94 37 94 41 
			  5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 68 19 60 20 59 29 59 22 
			  6. Semi-routine occupations 102 17 111 27 95 33 99 38 
			  7. Routine occupations 39 6 42 9 38 8 37 13 
			  Unknown 113 42 152 41 135 53 243 113 
			   
			 H-Engineering 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 5,950 2,576 5,603 2,408 5,492 2,460 5,251 2,352 
			  2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 7,327 3,011 6,749 2,738 6,411 2,648 6,255 2,701 
			  3. Intermediate occupations 3,685 1,534 3,092 1,269 3,147 1,342 3,018 1,281 
			  4. Small employers and own account workers 1,890 722 1,775 664 1,667 630 1,638 669 
			  5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 1,502 655 1,613 685 1,456 592 1,361 585 
			  6. Semi-routine occupations 3,739 1,462 3,396 1,405 3,089 1,272 3,244 1,336 
			  7. Routine occupations 1,505 613 1,354 486 1,284 491 1,279 500 
			  Unknown 4,915 2,612 5,117 2,736 4,690 2,574 6,184 3,180 
			   
			 M-Law 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 4,480 2,416 4,848 2,563 4,850 2,463 4,084 2,183 
			  2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 6,029 3,072 6,950 3,393 7,195 3,386 6,509 3,171 
			  3. Intermediate occupations 2,972 1,504 3,255 1,631 3,520 1,699 3,294 1,583 
			  4. Small employers and own account workers 1,478 701 1,671 765 1,773 831 1,668 761 
			  5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 909 430 1,079 489 1,112 510 1,044 517 
			  6. Semi-routine occupations 2,428 1,184 2,888 1,292 2,943 1,387 3,146 1,456 
			  7. Routine occupations 1,226 533 1,385 626 1,528 691 1,544 670 
			  Unknown 3,656 2,185 4,448 2,526 4,831 2,699 6,580 3,648 
			   
			 N4-Accounting 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 1,052 454 938 401 1,042 446 945 399 
			  2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 1,521 674 1,461 684 1,639 678 1,574 720 
			  3. Intermediate occupations 903 451 912 420 931 420 884 412 
			  4. Small employers and own account workers 479 193 471 212 549 242 560 246 
			  5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 305 144 315 141 333 150 335 148 
			  6. Semi-routine occupations 838 378 873 449 924 407 997 462 
			  7. Routine occupations 436 196 440 200 492 228 504 232 
			  Unknown 1,199 755 1,375 871 1,645 894 2,028 1,164 
			   
			 Total  72,999 34,600 77,351 35,865 80,312 36,163 83,598 37,544 
		
	
	
		
			2006  2007  2008 
			  Subject  NS-SEC  Applicants  Accepted a pplicants  Applicants  Accepted a pplicants  Applicants  Accepted a pplicants 
			 A1-Pre-clinical medicine 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 4,754 2,215 4,506 2,141 4,492 2,110 
			  2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 3,446 1,272 3,387 1,270 3,445 1,300 
			  3. Intermediate occupations 1,446 546 1,386 510 1,484 570 
			  4. Small employers and own account workers 523 191 560 200 537 184 
			  5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 263 94 289 100 284 110 
			  6. Semi-routine occupations 1,151 355 1,296 361 1,435 500 
			  7. Routine occupations 322 93 299 89 372 114 
			  Unknown 3,592 1,000 3,397 930 2,609 784 
			 
			 A2-Pre-clinical dentistry 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 646 247 701 283 731 288 
			  2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 524 167 545 162 565 168 
			  3. Intermediate occupations 246 84 259 102 288 103 
			  4. Small employers and own account workers 140 42 169 57 153 40 
			  5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 71 24 73 17 54 18 
			  6. Semi-routine occupations 240 73 287 71 285 86 
			  7. Routine occupations 88 22 89 22 76 20 
			  Unknown 566 147 582 157 488 129 
			 
			 D1-Pre-clinical veterinary medicine 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 331 212 403 224 475 201 
			  2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 288 151 383 175 422 136 
			  3. Intermediate occupations 129 71 168 70 207 82 
			  4. Small employers and own account workers 113 57 107 42 144 50 
			  5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 40 17 53 18 55 17 
			  6. Semi-routine occupations 82 37 141 53 157 60 
			  7. Routine occupations 40 13 57 16 68 26 
			  Unknown 245 108 310 117 249 71 
			 
			 H-Engineering 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 4,784 2,175 5,145 2,306 4,858 2,397 
			  2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 5,983 2,443 6,052 2,563 5,798 2,663 
			  3. Intermediate occupations 2,720 1,145 2,801 1,197 2,735 1,273 
			  4. Small employers and own account workers 1,573 634 1,576 617 1,519 690 
			  5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 1,208 510 1,291 513 1,268 589 
			  6. Semi-routine occupations 2,703 1,121 2,988 1,222 3,073 1,408 
			  7. Routine occupations 1,070 428 1,261 500 1,193 525 
			  Unknown 5,719 3,043 5,657 3,029 5,617 3,335 
			 
			 M-Law 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 3,931 2,124 3,987 2,234 3,825 2,289 
			  2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 5,824 2,949 6,096 3,117 5,821 3,261 
			  3. Intermediate occupations 2,816 1,387 2,932 1,470 3,051 1,663 
			  4. Small employers and own account workers 1,765 851 1,841 916 1,673 929 
			  5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 971 457 961 473 868 450 
			  6. Semi-routine occupations 2,889 1,362 2,906 1,416 3,273 1,751 
			  7. Routine occupations 1,355 635 1,467 690 1,520 808 
			  Unknown 6,034 3,540 6,052 3,767 5,980 4,146 
			 
			 N4-Accounting 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 945 390 1,030 408 1,012 373 
			  2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 1,520 645 1,647 645 1,655 685 
			  3. Intermediate occupations 844 366 905 386 951 401 
			  4. Small employers and own account workers 626 251 591 237 647 248 
			  5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 296 131 324 128 309 119 
			  6. Semi-routine occupations 992 458 1,106 471 1,159 507 
			  7. Routine occupations 490 227 538 225 550 222 
			  Unknown 2,001 1,147 2,119 1,210 2,075 1,277 
			 
			 Total  78,345 35,657 80,720 36,927 79,505 39,176 
			  Notes: 1. "Applicants" covers applicants who have made one or more applications to the specified subject. 2. Applicants applying to medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine courses can submit up to four applications. Those applying to other subjects in 2008 could submit up to five applications; in 2007 and earlier years they could submit up to six applications. 3. UCAS uses the Standard Occupational Classification 2000 and assigns socio-economic status based on an applicant's parental occupation (or the occupation of the person contributing the highest income to the household if the applicant is aged 21 years or over), and uses a simplified version of the National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC) since UCAS does not collect employment status or size of organisation from applicants. Provision of this information is voluntary and it is not passed to institutions until after the selection process. Socio-economic status data are available only for home (UK-domiciled) applicants. UCAS is not releasing NS-SEC data for 2009.  Source: UCAS.

Higher Education: Student Numbers

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of students who had been educated in  (a) Wansbeck constituency,  (b) Northumberland and  (c) the UK who were at university in the last 12 months.

David Willetts: Figures for higher education enrolments who were educated in Wansbeck constituency, Northumberland county and the UK are not available. As an alternative, figures for enrolments to higher education institutions who were resident in Wansbeck constituency, Northumberland local authority and the UK have been provided in the table as an alternative.
	The latest available information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) relates to the 2008/09 academic year. Figures for the 2009/10 academic year will be available in January 2011. The Department has recently received updated postcode information; therefore figures in the answer may not match those previously published. Figures exclude students studying higher education level courses at further education colleges.
	
		
			  Undergraduate enrolments( 1)  from Wansbeck parliamentary constituency( 2) , Northumberland local authority( 2) , and the UK-UK higher education institutions academic year 2008/09 
			  Area  Undergraduate enrolments 
			 Wansbeck 2,075 
			 Northumberland 8,570 
			 UK 1,673,655 
			 (1) Enrolments cover students in all years of study, not just first year students. (2 )Excludes enrolments whose parliamentary constituency or local authority could not be established due to missing or invalid postcode information.  Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Innovation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what powers and responsibilities the Technology Strategy Board will have in relation to his proposed innovation centres.

David Willetts: The overall network of centres will be established and overseen by the Technology Strategy Board but individual centres will have a high degree of autonomy so they can respond to business needs.
	The Technology Strategy Board will work with industry, stakeholders, and the wider Government to identify the priority areas and governance structure for the elite network of Technology and Innovation Centres by April 2011.

National Apprenticeship Service

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills who the  (a) Chief Executive and  (b) Chairman of the National Apprenticeship Service is; how long each has been in post; how much each is paid, including any pension contributions from the employer; and in which publications and on which websites each post was advertised when it was last vacant.

John Hayes: Simon Waugh was appointed to the role of chief executive of the newly formed National Apprenticeship Service in January 2009. The role was advertised in the  Sunday Times and on the  Times Online, and by the recruitment consultants, Gatenby Sanderson. The role was created in 2009 and Simon has been the only person to hold this position. In the summer of 2010, my Department agreed to Simon becoming executive chairman. Prior to this, the role of chairman of the National Apprenticeship Service did not exist.
	The National Apprenticeship Service is embedded in the Skills Funding Agency which was created on 1 April 2010. Salary information for all Skills Funding Agency and National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) senior civil servants, including Simon Waugh's are available on the Skills Funding Agency website
	http://skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk/aboutus/transparencyingovernment/salary/index.htm

National Scholarship Fund

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how he expects the National Scholarship Fund to operate; and who he expects to be eligible for awards from the Fund.

David Willetts: holding answer 8 November 2010
	All universities that want to charge a higher graduate contribution than the £6,000 threshold will be obliged to participate in the National Scholarships programme. We will consult students and university organisations on the details. We will look to increase the leverage of Government funding by getting matched contributions from universities. Our current preference is for universities to offer scholarships to targeted students-including the principal beneficiaries of the pupil premium-that would mean at least their first year is free. Other attractive ideas include expanding the model of a foundation year for young people with high potential but lower qualifications.

Regional Growth Fund

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Local Growth White Paper, Cm 7961, what timescale he has set for the establishment of growth hubs.

Mark Prisk: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will set out its plans for business improvement, including growth hubs, in more detail shortly.

Science: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the sum in private sector funding likely to be attracted by each £1 in science funding from the public purse over the comprehensive spending review period.

David Willetts: The Government does not have an explicit estimate of the amount of private sector funding attracted by £1 of public spending on science-with the significant degrees of uncertainty involved, such an estimate is likely to be unreliable.
	In 2008 (the most recent year for which data is available) Government expenditure on research and development and higher education expenditure on research and development, together known as public sector expenditure on research and development, was equal to 0.162+0.469 or 0.631% of gross domestic product. Business expenditure on research and development, which includes financing from abroad, 1.097% of gross domestic product. Therefore for every £1 of public research and development expenditure in 2008 there was £1.74 of business research and development expenditure.

Skills Funding Agency: Manpower

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff are employed by the Skills Funding Agency specifically to work on communications and campaigns; and what recent discussions he has had with the Chief Executive of the Agency on this level of staffing.

John Hayes: Decisions about the number of staff within the Skills Funding Agency who work on communications and campaigns are an operational matter for Geoff Russell, the chief executive of the agency. I have therefore asked him to reply direct to my hon. Friend.
	I have not had any recent discussions with the chief executive of Skills Funding on the number of Skills Funding Agency staff working in these areas. However, as is the case with all public bodies, the Skills Funding Agency is being streamlined. It is already making an 11% additional saving in 2010-11 and will be expected to make further significant savings to its administrative costs over the spending review period.

Students: Fees and Charges

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills who he plans to consult on options for mechanisms to enable early repayment of tuition fee loans; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: holding answer 8 November 2010
	 The Government are committed to the progressive nature of the repayment system. It is therefore important that those on the highest incomes post graduation are not able unfairly to buy themselves out of this progressive system by paying off their loans early. We will consult on potential early repayment mechanisms-similar to those paid by people who pre-pay their mortgages. These mechanisms would need to ensure that graduates on modest incomes who strive to pay off their loans early through regular payments are not penalised. For example, a 5% levy might be charged on additional repayments each year over a specified amount such as £1,000 or £3,000. Alternatively, those on higher incomes (eg over £60,000) who made an additional repayment could be required to pay a 5% levy on this sum. We will consult with students, universities, higher education bodies and other experts.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Air Force personnel are deployed in Afghanistan in support of combat aircraft flying operations.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 4 November 2010
	The RAF currently has approximately 1,900 personnel deployed in Afghanistan. The specific number of RAF personnel supporting Tornado GR4 in Afghanistan is being withheld as the information could prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Afghanistan: Security Forces

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 22 October 2010,  Official Report, column 881W, on Afghanistan: security forces, if he will discuss with his Afghan counterpart the recruitment and desertion statistics for the Afghan police and army referred to in his Answer.

Liam Fox: I regularly talk to Defence Minister Wardak on a range of issues including the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF).
	Working closely with the Government of Afghanistan, we continue to make progress in enhancing the capacity and capability of the ANSF, including on specific measures to improve recruitment and retention. However, these issues are ultimately matters for the Government of Afghanistan.

Air Force: Military Bases

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which  (a) live fire and  (b) practice weapons are permitted for use at (i) RAF Wainfleet, (ii) RAF Donna Nook, (iii) RAF Holbeach, (iv) RAF West Freugh, (v) RAF Tain and (vi) the Cape Wrath Range.

Andrew Robathan: RAF Wainfleet was closed on 3 December 2009. Details of the live fire and practice weapons permitted for use at Defence Training Estate (DTE) Donna Nook, DTE Holbeach, MOD West Freugh, DTE Tain and DTE Cape Wrath are detailed as follows:
	 DTE Donna Nook
	Live Fire:
	Ball/Tracer up to 30mm (including 7.62mm, 0.5 inch, 20mm, 27mm, 30mm)
	Practice Weapons:
	3kg
	14kg
	5401b High Explosive Simulated (Freefall and Retarded)
	10001b High Explosive Simulated (Freefall and Retarded)
	CRV-7 Inert (Ground Attack Rocket)
	BDU-33(Practice Bomb)
	BDU-50 (Freefall and Retarded) (Practice Bomb)
	BDU-56 (Freefall) (Practice Bomb)
	DTE Holbeach
	Live Fire:
	Ball/Tracer up to 30mm (including 7.62mm, 0.5 inch, 20mm, 27mm, 30mm) TOW (Tube-launched Optically Tracked Wire command data link guided missile)
	Practice Weapons:
	3kg
	14kg
	5401b High Explosive Simulated (Freefall and Retarded)
	10001b High Explosive Simulated (Freefall and Retarded)
	CRV-7 Inert (Ground Attack Rocket)
	BDU-33 (Practice Bomb)
	BDU-50 (Freefall and Retarded) (Practice Bomb)
	BDU-56 (Freefall) (Practice Bomb)
	 MOD West Freugh
	This unit is operated and managed by QinetiQ on behalf of the MOD and is cleared for use of the following air-launched weapons:
	Live Fire:
	Ball/Tracer up to 30mm (including 7.62mm, 0.5 inch, 20mm, 27mm, 30mm)
	5401b HE (Freefall and Retarded)
	10001b HE (Freefall and Retarded)
	Practice Weapons:
	UK and US Practice bombs
	5401b HE Simulated (Freefall and Retarded)
	10001b HE Simulated (Freefall and Retarded)
	Paveway II, III and IV inert laser guided bombs
	 DTE Tain
	Live Fire:
	Ball/Tracer up to 30mm (including 7.62mm, 0.5 inch, 20mm, 27mm, 30mm)
	Practice Weapons:
	3kg
	14kg
	5401b High Explosive Simulated (Freefall and Retarded)
	10001b High Explosive Simulated (Freefall and Retarded)
	CRV-7 Inert (Ground Attack Rocket)
	BDU-33(Practice Bomb)
	BDU-50 (Freefall and Retarded) (Practice Bomb)
	BDU-56 (Freefall) (Practice Bomb)
	 DTE Cape Wrath
	Live Fire:
	Ball/Tracer up to 105mm (including 7.62mm, 0.5 inch, 20mm, 27mm, 30mm, 40mm, 105 mm)
	10001b High Explosive (Freefall and Retarded)
	Mk-82 High Explosive (Freefall and Retarded)
	Practice Weapons:
	3kg
	14kg
	10001b High Explosive Simulated (Freefall and Retarded)
	Inert Paveway II
	CRV-7 Inert (Ground Attack Rocket)
	10001b High Explosive Simulated (Freefall and Retarded)
	BDU-33(Practice Bomb)
	BDU-50 (Freefall and Retarded) (Practice Bomb)
	BDU-56 (Freefall) (Practice Bomb)
	Mk-82 High Explosive Simulated (Freefall and Retarded)
	Mk-84 High Explosive Simulated (Freefall)

Aircraft Carriers: Military Aircraft

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effects on the aeronautical industry of not proceeding with his Department's proposals for the short take-off and vertical landing aircraft variant for the new aircraft carriers.

Peter Luff: holding answer 2 November 2010
	 The decision to purchase the Carrier Variant of the Joint Strike Fighter was made on operational grounds. It offers advantages in terms of interoperability with allies, range, and pay load and through life costs over the Short Take Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant.
	The industrial implications of the key strategic defence and security review choices were given careful consideration, but we have not made a specific assessment of the impact on the aeronautical industry of the decision to proceed with the Carrier Variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, rather than the STOVL version. However, UK companies have a significant interest in the overall Joint Strike Fighter programme, including the carrier and Conventional Take-Off and Landing (CTOL) variants.

Armed Forces: Housing

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether service family accommodation in North Kingston is included in his Department's upgrade programme.

Andrew Robathan: Work is under way to provide new kitchens, bathrooms, heating systems and electrical rewiring to 50 service family accommodation (SFA) properties in North Kingston.
	The coalition Government are looking to see what further improvements to the SFA estate as a whole, including properties in Kingston, can be funded from efficiencies elsewhere in the Department.

Armed Forces: Private Education

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many children of service personnel receive funding from his Department to attend independent schools.

Andrew Robathan: For financial year 2009-10, there were 9,020 children of service personnel who attended fee paying schools and received financial assistance from the Ministry of Defence through the Continuity of Educational Allowance (CEA) scheme. It is not possible to differentiate independent schools so this figure includes all CEA eligible schools: private sector, public and state boarding schools.

Falkland Islands: Deployment

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what naval capability he expects to be available for operations relating to the Falkland Islands in the next 10 years.

Nick Harvey: We are firmly committed to the defence of the Falkland Islands and will maintain a permanent maritime presence in the South Atlantic consisting of a destroyer or frigate and a patrol vessel. Other naval vessels may visit from time to time and a ship will also deploy to Antarctic waters for the ice patrol task each austral summer. The permanent maritime presence can be reinforced rapidly by other Royal Navy ships and submarines, should the need arise.

France: Military Alliances

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the compliance of the defence sharing agreement with France with the UK's obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 9 November 2010
	 At the 2 November 2010 UK-France summit, we signed two treaties, one on long-term defence and security co-operation and one on shared nuclear hydrodynamics testing facilities. Both are fully consistent with our obligations under the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.

HMS Astute

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilians were aboard HMS Astute when it ran aground on 22 October 2010; and what the role of each was.

Peter Luff: There were 17 civilians aboard HMS Astute at the time of the grounding incident. Of these, 16 were contractors: 11 from BAE Systems Submarine Solutions; two from Atlas, two from Thales; and one from QinetiQ. In addition, there was one civilian on board from the Ministry of Defence.
	These civilians were present to support ongoing weapons and combat systems trials and training.

Joint Strike Fighter F-35 Fighters

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Joint Strike Fighter F-35 fighters he plans to order; and what timescale he has set for their entry into service.

Peter Luff: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 3 November 2010,  Official Report, columns 852-53W, to the hon. Members for Glenrothes (Lindsay Roy), for North Durham (Mr Jones) and for Moray (Angus Robertson).

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the short study on the helicopter platform capabilities for HMS Ocean and HMS Illustrious to report; and when he expects to make a decision on the future of such capabilities.

Peter Luff: The study is expected to report its conclusions shortly. A decision on how our future landing platform helicopter capability should be provided will be announced in due course.

Nimrod MR4A

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the Nimrod MR4A aircraft designated PA04 is stationed.

Peter Luff: Nimrod MRA4 aircraft PA04 is stationed at BAE Systems Warton.

Peacekeeping Operations: Middle East

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent estimate is of the number of civilian deaths in Afghanistan consequent on actions by  (a) Coalition forces and  (b) insurgents since October 2001.

Liam Fox: We deeply regret all civilian casualties. Protecting the Afghan civilian population is a cornerstone of the international security assistance force's (ISAF) mission, and all British troops undergo comprehensive training on the strict rules of engagement. Where incidents do occur procedures are in place to ensure they are promptly reported to the chain of command and follow up actions take place in accordance with ISAF and UK national procedures. This contrasts directly with the attitude of the insurgents, whose indiscriminate use of suicide bombs, roadside explosive devices and human shields cause the majority of civilian deaths and injuries in Afghanistan. We will continue our efforts to prevent insurgents harming civilians and to develop the capacity of Afghan security forces to protect the population.
	The Ministry of Defence does not record figures for insurgent or civilian casualties in Afghanistan because of the immense difficulty and risks that would be involved in collecting robust data.

Shipbuilding

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of shipyards in the UK which are surplus to requirements.

Peter Luff: holding answer 9 November 2010
	 As set out in the strategic defence and security review, the Ministry of Defence has a continuing large programme of investment in new warships. The Department is committed to working with the UK shipbuilding industry to ensure delivery of our future military requirements. It will, however, be for industry to retain the capacity it deems necessary in order to meet the demands made of it.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the saving to the public purse from his planned reduction in the number of  (a) operational and  (b) stockpiled warheads;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the saving to the public purse arising from reductions in the number of warheads on Vanguard submarines.

Liam Fox: The Ministry of Defence made estimates of the cost savings accrued from measures in the strategic defence and security review for the purposes of formulating policy. However, final savings figures will depend on detailed implementation. The MOD is therefore not prepared to release more detailed figures at this time.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings each Minister in his Department had with representatives of the defence industry to discuss the strategic defence and security review prior to its publication.

Liam Fox: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 October 2010,  Official Report, column 202W, to the hon. Member for Stalybridge and Hyde (Jonathan Reynolds).

JUSTICE

Alternatives to Prison

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to increase the use of community sentences for prisoners on short prison sentences.

Crispin Blunt: We want to see sentencing that is effective in rehabilitating offenders so that they do not offend again. This includes increased use of community sentences where they are more effective than short prison sentences in providing punishment and rehabilitation, and in helping offenders come off drugs.
	We have announced that we are conducting an assessment of sentencing, looking at the full range of penalties and restorative measures available in the criminal justice system, including community sentences. We will publish a Green Paper before the end of the year, setting out plans to reform sentencing and rehabilitate offenders more effectively.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether any internal reviews of criminal injuries compensation have recommended changes to the categories of person eligible for compensation through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.

Crispin Blunt: The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme is currently subject to review. No decisions have been made.

Data Protection: Internet

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with the Office of the Information Commissioner on the adequacy of the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 to protect personal data online.

Jonathan Djanogly: There are regular discussions between the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) on the provisions of the Data Protection Act (DPA) and their adequacy for both online and offline data processing. As part of this ongoing dialogue, the ICO responded to the MoJ's Call for Evidence on the DPA and the European Data Protection Directive. In addition, discussions took place between the MoJ and the ICO about the ICO's Personal Information Online Code of Practice during for the ICO's public consultation.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Phillip Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what mechanisms are in place to ensure that his Department's decisions on regional funding allocations are based on the most recent available population data.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice does not contribute to any single regional pot of funding. Funding allocations to local authority Youth Offending Teams are based on a formula which includes population data. Following the spending review, we are reviewing the YOT grant formula in order to bring it up to date and will work with the Department for Communities and Local Government to ensure that it includes the most recent available population data.

Fines: Surcharges

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was raised through the victims' surcharge in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: I refer the hon. Member to my reply given to the hon. Member for Blackley and Broughton (Graham Stringer) on 24 June 2010,  Official Report, column 280W.
	The Victim Surcharge was introduced on the 1 April 2007. Between 2007-08 to 2009-10 the Victim Surcharge raised £21,079,310. It produced approximately £3.8 million in 2007-08, £8.1 million in 2008-09 and £9.2 million for 2009-10.

Google

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has discussed Google's Street View project with the Information Commissioner.

Jonathan Djanogly: UK data protection legislation is enforced independently of Government by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and it would not be appropriate for Ministers to be involved in the ICO's handling of any particular case.
	Discussions between the Information Commissioner and Ministers with regard to Google's Street View project have related to the general principles of the case.

John Hirst

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if the Probation Service will  (a) consider the compliance of John Hirst with the terms of his licence for release from custody and  (b) recall him from his release on licence.

Crispin Blunt: It would not be appropriate, for operational reasons, to place in the public domain information regarding the management on licence of an individual offender.
	However, an offender who is in the community and on a life licence is liable to be recalled to prison, where his behaviour suggests he presents an unacceptable risk to life or limb.

Prison Sentences

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people who were given custodial sentences of up to two years were convicted of each offence in the latest year for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many people who were given custodial sentences of up to 12 months were convicted of each offence in the latest year for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: Information showing the number of persons sentenced to immediate custody of up to and including one year, over one year and up to and including two years, and over two years (including life and indeterminate) for each offence at all courts in England and Wales for 2009 (latest available) can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  Persons sentenced to immediate custody, sentence bands at all courts by offence, England and Wales, 2009( 1, 2) 
			  Offence  Total immediate custody  Up to and including one year  Over one year and up to and including two years  Over two years (including life and indeterminate) 
			 Murder 376 - - 376 
			 Attempted Murder 84 - - 84 
			 Threat or Conspiracy to Murder 182 81 50 51 
			 Manslaughter 202 4 17 181 
			 Causing Death by Reckless Driving 218 22 51 145 
			 Manslaughter Due to Diminished Responsibility 4 - - 4 
			 Causing Death by Careless Driving when under the influence of Drink or Drugs 33 3 1 29 
			 Causing Death of a child or vulnerable person 11 3 2 6 
			 Causing Death by careless or inconsiderate driving 3 2 1 - 
			 Causing death by driving unlicensed, disqualified or uninsured drivers 1 1 - - 
			 Causing Death by Aggravated Vehicle Taking 7 3 - 4 
			 Wounding or other act Endangering Life 1,626 49 131 1,446 
			 Endangering Railway Passenger 4 3 1 - 
			 Endangering Life at Sea 1 1 - - 
			 Other Wounding etc. 11,155 7,764 2,524 867 
			 Cruelty to or Neglect of Children 158 86 38 34 
			 Abandoning Child aged under Two Years 1 1 - - 
			 Child Abduction 16 5 6 5 
			 Procuring Illegal Abortion 2 - - 2 
			 Total Violence Against the Person 14,084 8,028 2,822 3,234 
			  
			 Buggery 24 0 1 23 
			 Sexual Assault on a Male 118 25 34 59 
			 Rape of a Female 885 5 13 867 
			 Rape of a Male 56 0 5 51 
			 Sexual Assault on a Female 935 261 225 449 
			 Sexual Activity with child under 13 86 19 22 45 
			 Sexual Activity with child under 16 472 66 138 268 
			 Familial Sexual Offences (Incest) 77 9 23 45 
			 Exploitation of Prostitution 47 22 17 8 
			 Abduction 1 - 1 - 
			 Sexual activity etc. with a person with a mental disorder 15 1 6 8 
			 Abuse of children through prostitution and pornography 19 3 4 12 
			 Trafficking for sexual exploitation 21 - 2 19 
			 Abuse of trust-sexual offences 19 15 4 - 
			 Gross Indecency with Children 43 9 18 16 
			 Miscellaneous sexual offences 169 118 26 25 
			 Total Sexual Offences 2,987 553 539 1,895 
			  
			 Burglary in a Dwelling 6,873 2,636 1,887 2,350 
			 Aggravated Burglary in a Dwelling 246 11 33 202 
			 Burglary in a Building Other than a Dwelling 2,887 2,356 337 194 
			 Aggravated Burglary in a Building not a Dwelling 20 1 2 17 
			 Total Burglary Offences 10,026 5,004 2,259 2,763 
			  
			 Robbery 5,155 1,007 1,313 2,835 
			 Total Robbery Offences 5,155 1,007 1,313 2,835 
			  
			 Aggravated Vehicle Taking 620 472 148 - 
			 Money laundering offences 488 222 139 127 
			 Theft from the Person of Another 1,959 1,625 226 108 
			 Theft in Dwelling not Automatic Machine or Meter 332 310 10 12 
			 Theft by an Employee 328 209 93 26 
			 Theft or Unauthorised Taking from Mail 41 34 5 2 
			 Abstracting Electricity 21 21 - - 
			 Theft of Pedal Cycle 138 136 1 1 
			 Theft from Vehicle 1,029 996 22 11 
			 Theft from Shops 11,903 11,850 47 6 
			 Theft from Automatic Machine or Meter 110 81 15 14 
			 Theft of Motor Vehicle 236 206 24 6 
			 Other Theft or Unauthorised Taking 1,382 1,284 73 25 
			 Handling Stolen Goods 1,355 1,156 153 46 
			 Total Theft and Handling Stolen Goods 19,942 18,602 956 384 
			  
			 Fraud by Company Director etc. 23 5 8 10 
			 False Accounting 55 26 19 10 
			 Other Fraud 2,700 1,984 448 268 
			 Bankruptcy Offence 24 22 2 - 
			 Forgery etc. of Drug Prescription 10 8 1 1 
			 Other Forgery etc. 2,558 2,323 193 42 
			 Fraud, Forgery etc associated with Vehicle or Driver Records 17 16 1 - 
			 Total Fraud and Forgery 5,387 4,384 672 331 
			  
			 Arson 549 115 128 306 
			 Criminal Damage Endangering Life 40 12 10 18 
			 Other Criminal Damage 354 330 22 2 
			 Threat etc., to commit Criminal Damage 93 75 9 9 
			 Total Criminal Damage 1,036 532 169 335 
			  
			 Unlawful importation-Class A 528 4 19 505 
			 Unlawful importation-Class B 74 21 22 31 
			 Unlawful importation-Class C 82 18 31 33 
			 Unlawful importation-Class unspecified 25 9 5 11 
			 Unlawful exportation-Class A 25 1 - 24 
			 Unlawful exportation-Class B 4 1 1 2 
			 Unlawful exportation-Class C 4 2 - 2 
			 Unlawful exportation-Class unspecified 4 1 2 1 
			 Production, supply and possession with intent to supply a controlled drug-Class A 4,826 368 1,314 3,144 
			 Production, supply and possession with intent to supply a controlled drug-Class B 1,077 381 510 186 
			 Production, supply and possession with intent to supply a controlled drug-Class C 967 434 335 198 
			 Production, supply and possession with intent to supply a controlled drug-Class unspecified 223 25 43 155 
			 Possession of a controlled drug-Class A 775 704 34 37 
			 Possession of a controlled drug-Class B 371 364 3 4 
			 Possession of a controlled drug-Class C 127 121 6 - 
			 Possession of a controlled drug-Class unspecified 13 4 1 8 
			 Inciting another to supply a controlled drug-Class C 2 2 - - 
			 Other drug offences 298 80 150 68 
			 Total Drug Offences 9,425 2,540 2,476 4,409 
			  
			 Going Equipped for Stealing, etc. 374 354 18 2 
			 Blackmail 132 16 33 83 
			 Kidnapping, etc. 310 39 70 201 
			 Rioting 9 0 - 9 
			 Violent Disorder 268 101 133 34 
			 Other Offence against the State or Public Order 3,064 2,494 509 61 
			 Perjury 40 35 4 1 
			 Betting, Gaming and Lotteries 3 3 - - 
			 Aiding Suicide 2 - 2 - 
			 Assist Entry of Illegal Immigrant 381 281 66 34 
			 Perverting the Course of Justice 748 623 94 31 
			 Absconding from Lawful Custody 246 236 8 2 
			 Firearms Act Offence 597 181 62 354 
			 Revenue Law Offence 17 4 6 7 
			 Failing to Surrender to Bail 1,722 1,722 - - 
			 Trade Descriptions Act and Similar Offences 236 213 16 7 
			 Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 7 7 - - 
			 Possession of Obscene Material etc. 479 293 130 56 
			 Protection from Eviction Act 1977. 4 4 - - 
			 Adulteration of Food 3 1 2 - 
			 Public Health 11 10 1 - 
			 Disclosure, obstruction, false or misleading statements 37 36 1 - 
			 Other (Excluding Motoring Offences) 2,192 2,023 77 92 
			 Total Other Indictable Offences (Excluding Motoring) 10,882 8,676 1,232 974 
			 Total Indictable Offences (Excluding Motoring) 78,924 49,326 12,438 17,160 
			  
			 Dangerous Driving 1,309 1,089 220 - 
			 Driving licence related offences: Making false statements 2 2 - - 
			 Vehicle insurance offences: Making false statements 4 4 - - 
			 Total Indictable Motoring Offences 1,315 1,095 220 - 
			 Total Indictable Offences (Including Motoring) 80,239 50,421 12,658 17,160 
			  
			 Assault: On Constable 1,609 1,609 - - 
			 Assault: Common, etc 6,787 6,785 2 - 
			 Betting or Gaming Offence 32 32 - - 
			 Brothel Keeping 13 13 - - 
			 Cruelty to Animal 102 102 - - 
			 Offences Relating to Dogs 10 10 - - 
			 Education Acts 15 15 - - 
			 Firearms Acts 17 17 - - 
			 Fishery Acts 3 3 - - 
			 Offence against Public Order 1,522 1,522 - - 
			 Interference with Motor Vehicles 281 281 - - 
			 Unauthorised Taking of a Conveyance 639 639 - - 
			 Summary Aggravated Vehicle Taking 371 368 3 - 
			 Drunkenness, with Aggravation 7 7 - - 
			 Summary Criminal or Malicious Damage Offence 1,313 1,313 - - 
			 Social Security Offence 36 36 - - 
			 Naval, Military and Air Force Law-Navy 1 1 - - 
			 Disorderly Behaviour 5 5 - - 
			 Other Offence 2 2 - - 
			 Prostitution-Kerb Crawling 52 52 - - 
			 Public Health Offence 1 1 - - 
			 Railway Offence 23 23 - - 
			 Sexual Offences-Miscellaneous 1 1 - - 
			 Vagrancy Offences-Begging 8 8 - - 
			 Vagrancy Offences-Found In Enclosed Premises 52 52 - - 
			 Weights and Measures Acts 1 1 - - 
			 Wild Birds Protection Acts 1 1 - - 
			 Drug Offence 111 111 - - 
			 Immigration Offence 33 33 - - 
			 Other Summary Offence (Excluding Motoring) 1,639 1,638 1 - 
			 Total Summary Offences (Excluding Motoring) 14,687 14,681 6 - 
			 Summary Motoring Offences 5,264 5,264 - - 
			 Total Summary Offences (Including Motoring) 19,951 19,945 6 - 
			 Total All Offences 100,190 70,366 12,664 17,160 
			 (1 )The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source:  Justice Statistics-Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice

Prisoners on Remand

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many remand prisoners  (a) were in prison on 6 May 2010 and  (b) voted in elections on that day.

Crispin Blunt: On 7 May 2010, the nearest date for which information is available, there were 12,823 remand prisoners in prisons in England and Wales.
	Eligible prisoners may vote by post or by proxy and we are therefore unable to say how many votes were actually cast by or on behalf of eligible prisoners.
	The right to vote is restricted to unconvicted prisoners, convicted but unsentenced prisoners, persons imprisoned for contempt of court and other prisoners classified under Prison Rule 7(3), and those serving a term of imprisonment in default of payment of a sum of money, adjudged to be paid on conviction.

Prisoners' Release

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were given a supervision order with a condition of participation in a sex offender programme in 2009.

Crispin Blunt: In 2009, 1,451 community-based orders were issued with a requirement to participate in a sex offender programme.

Prisoners' Release

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people were given a supervision order with a curfew requirement in each year from 2004 to 2009;
	(2)  how many people were given a supervision order with a requirement for unpaid work in each year from 2004 to 2009.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows the number of curfew and unpaid work community order requirements which commenced under probation service supervision in each year from 2005 to 2009-latest available.
	
		
			  Persons starting curfew and unpaid work requirements of a community order 2005 - 09 
			   Curfew  Unpaid work 
			 2005 3,209 29,947 
			 2006 9,615 66,937 
			 2007 12,608 74,779 
			 2008 15,526 74,629 
			 2009 16,479 76,699 
			  Notes: 1. Sharp increase from 2005 reflects the fact that these orders were introduced for offences committed after 4 April 2005. 2. For curfews, the data given in the table are the majority of adult curfew requirements given. The data do not include single requirement curfews which do not involve probation service supervision. 
		
	
	Data are available from April 2005 only as the community order was introduced under the Criminal Justice Act 2003 on 4 April 2005-moreover curfew/unpaid work requirements did not explicitly feature in the community sentences used previously.
	The figures can be found in the published "Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2009"-Table 3.9, a copy of which can be found in the Libraries of both Houses and which can be found at the following website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/prisonandprobation.htm
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisons: Drugs

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to improve the delivery of drug treatment services in prisons.

Crispin Blunt: The Government recognise that treatment is essential if we are to tackle the social and health costs caused by drugs. In prisons, a comprehensive framework of drug treatment is in place to address the drug needs of offenders, comprising clinical services, psychosocial interventions, case management and through care services. The Integrated Drug Treatment System (IDTS) is bringing improvements to the quality of prison treatment and is due to be rolled out to all adult prisons in England by March 2011.
	However, we believe more needs to be done to offer offenders the opportunity to get off drugs for good and into a position where they can stop offending and make a proper contribution to society. To achieve this we will run pilots to pay contractors by results to rehabilitate offenders with drug problems, launch drugs recovery wing pathfinders in a number of prisons and explore alternative forms of residential, treatment-based accommodation for offenders with drugs problems.
	These plans will be outlined in more detail in our Green Paper on Sentencing and Rehabilitation, which will be published for consultation shortly.

Prisons: Meat

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will review levels of meat consumption in prisons for the purpose of improving the health of prisoners.

Crispin Blunt: There are no plans to review the level of meat consumption in prisons. Prisons already provide meals to meet religious and cultural needs as well as vegetarian, vegan and other dietary requirements.

Prisons: Wales

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Wales on proposals for the construction of a prison in North Wales.

Crispin Blunt: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales has discussed the provision of prison places in north Wales with both myself and ministerial colleagues.
	The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is committed to publishing a Green Paper on Rehabilitation and Sentencing, consulting on our longer-term plans for offender management. Following this the MoJ will re-evaluate its strategy for prison capacity.

Probation

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance his Department issues to the Probation Service on the recall of prisoners.

Crispin Blunt: The most recent published guidance issued to the Probation Service on the recall of prisoners is contained in Probation Circular 14/2008 and Probation Instruction 4/2009.
	The link for these circulars are:
	http://www.probation.homeoffice.gov.uk/files/pdf/PC14%202008.pdf
	http://www.probation.homeoffice.gov.uk/files/pdf/PI04%202009.pdf

Youth Custody: Violence

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he has had with the Youth Justice Boards on matters arising from the recent violent incidents at HM Prison and Youth Offender Institute, Warren Hill and HM Prison and Youth Offender Institute, Hatfield; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: I was kept informed of events at HMYOI Warren Hill through the National Offender Management Service. The Youth Justice Board are working closely with NOMS to manage the situation at Warren Hill and the impact on the wider youth estate.